It is proposed that, to address the lack of women in senior academic ranks, higher education should reexamine appointment procedures, scrutinize the standards by which men have been assessed traditionally, ask men to justify their own merit, and examine the way in which male academics interact with their female counterparts. (MSE)

Describes a plan developed at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York, to recognize, foster, and celebrate cultural pluralism and racial/ethnic diversity. Considers campuswide efforts and plans in the areas of affirmative action, faculty and staff development, retention and curricular initiatives, student life, and community…

Discusses legal and societal trends and issues related to the access of underprepared minority students to higher education. Assesses four model minority access programs in terms of academic preparation, career planning, positive reference-group expectancy, and institutional and financial assistance. The programs involve early intervention,…

Experiences of a bilingual multicultural elementary school in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) illustrate how concepts of social justice, equality, and respect for ethnic differences can be introduced. The school is distinguished by its two-way bilingual program that gives every child a chance to master English and Spanish. (SLD)

In the last five years the number of master's and first professional degrees earned by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans has increased substantially, but concern persists that the trend is not sustainable without affirmative-action policy. While minority enrollment has not declined overall, it has decreased in some…

When a qualified white student was denied admission to an elite public school, her father sued the Boston Public School Committee, claiming the new, racially based admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause. The First Circuit Court reversed a lower court decision for the school committee, because the admission policy served no…

The president of a historically black college provides his personal perspective on the evolution of race and affirmative action issues in higher education in the United States within the context of broader social change and activism. Continuing problems and successes in the movement toward cultural diversity in higher education are examined. (MSE)

Until society has addressed underlying factors in racial and minority-group inequities, it should attempt to make progress toward equity at all educational levels, including colleges and graduate and professional schools. Analysis of newly available empirical data suggests that following race-neutral policies at selective colleges would have…

Two years after California's ban on racial and gender preferences became law, supporters and opponents of affirmative action are debating the impact on college faculty diversity. Some institutions have maintained slow but steady growth in minority faculty; diversity at others has declined. Some say that not all effects of the change, including…

This chapter is adapted from the address that inaugurated the American Educational Research Association annual lecture series commemorating the anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in the case "Brown v. Board of Education." The authors begin this chapter by paying tribute to Kenneth Bancroft Clark, who led the distinguished group of…

This article presents the author's response to Edmund Gordon and Beatrice Bridglall's paper titled "The Affirmative Development of Academic Ability: In Pursuit of Social Justice." Placing her comments in a historical context, the author states that Gordon and Bridglall point out that the "Brown v. Board of Education" case was the result of decades…

Responding to Brighouse's comments, we discuss ways that institutions of higher education themselves can increase access for low-income students. We argue for the important role of community colleges and for bridge programs that colleges can establish with middle and high schools to ensure that students take the subjects necessary to prepare them…

Changes in affirmative action policies in some states create possibilities for "natural experiments" to observe the effect of public policy on racial and ethnic inequality in American society. This study measured the impact of Initiative 200, a ballot measure that eliminated affirmative action in Washington State, on the transition from…

In fall 1994, College of the Canyons (COC), in California, conducted a survey of all 380 faculty, staff, and administrators to determine their attitudes toward and experiences at the college. The survey rate was 31.8%, with 121 responses and results were compared to findings from a spring 1994 survey completed by 545 students for a 30.8% response…

This paper examines the link between the limited numbers of minority faculty in higher education and the availability of minority targeted scholarship programs. Two court cases are focused on: (1) U.S. & Ayers v. Fordice, a Mississippi higher education desegregation case, decided and remanded by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992; and (2)…