Despite its relatively short history, policies connected with Affirmative Action have endured a controversial social, political, and legal past. Higher education has witnessed much of this controversy firsthand. Because the venue of many Affirmative Action battles has been waged within educational settings, faculty in higher education are uniquely…

Despite the gains made by minority groups through affirmative action in higher education, in the end, only the earned achievements of minority Americans can form the basis of a true and lasting equality in a pluralistic society. (MSE)

A review of court litigation and federal regulatory action explores the prevalence of discrimination in higher education, and it is suggested that race-exclusive scholarships can be used and defended as a means of eliminating vestiges of discrimination that hinder the access of minorities to postsecondary educational opportunities. (Author/MSE)

Federal constitutional, statutory, and case law dealing with minority-targeted scholarships and admissions are reviewed. Applicable laws and standards, standing, admission and scholarship procedures, affirmative action, and holistic assessments are discussed. It is concluded that many existing affirmative action programs may violate the Fourteenth…

Reviews an unresolved case involving the termination of Sharon Taxman, a white business education teacher at Piscatawny (New Jersey) High School, as a reduction-in-force measure. An African American teacher with equal seniority was retained, based on the board's commitment to affirmative action. Taxman's 1993 suit was upheld, but a circuit court…

An analysis of a court decision, Podberesky v Kirwin, finding a University of Maryland scholarship targeting black students to be racially discriminatory reviews both what the Supreme Court has said about use of racial classifications and how it has not said what constitutes permissible affirmative action. (MSE)

A primary social dilemma today is that current strategies have led to the perception that affirmative action favors some population groups at the expense of others, that in a sense it uses one form of discrimination to combat another. It is essential to reconsider affirmative action strategies to implement those that are most appropriate for today…

Describes the evolution of "race-norming," or "within-group scoring," the practice by which job candidates' scores on employment tests are reported relative to comparison groups of their own race or ethnicity. Contends that race-norming fosters group rather than individual rights and perpetuates the inequality it intends to…

Examines the negative effects of the affirmative action admissions program at the University of California Berkeley, and briefly discusses the qualifications of minority college bound students and minority recruitment in general. (FMW)