Synthesizes and interprets information from the forthcoming report on race and higher education "Compelling Interests: Examining the Evidence on Racial Dynamics in Colleges and Universities" to be published by Teachers College Press. Reviews four misconceptions about affirmative action and college admission. Research demonstrates the continuing…

James Traub, in his report for the "New York Times Magazine," suggests that some "adaptive" techniques, such as cascading applicants to other colleges and particular administrative approaches, will provide the benefits of affirmative action without its drawbacks. This is a misleading message. Adaptive techniques will not offset…

Describes the work of the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), a "public interest" law firm that has been highly successful in stamping out the use of affirmative action in the admissions process of some major universities. Summarizes CIR tactics to eliminate affirmative action. (SLD)

Explores what would happen to black law school admissions if affirmative-action admissions decisions are banned. The threat to affirmative action is only half of the problem of integrating African Americans into the major law firms, which are so overwhelmingly white that many blacks prefer not to join them. (SLD)

Analyzes plans of some states (California, Florida, and Texas) to admit top high school graduates to public colleges and universities as a way to promote diversity without affirmative action programs. Critics claim such plans exploit educational segregation while doing nothing to improve schools, and may create inequities by denying admission to…

Reports on the controversial stands taken by John H. McWhorter, a black University of Berkeley associate professor, in his book "Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America." The book opposes affirmative action and suggests that black academic achievement lags because of a mindset endemic to black culture that discourages learning, while…

Examined three explanations for evaluations of an affirmative action university applicant: (1) type of policy; (2) the human capital model; and (3) social identity. Ratings by 79 undergraduates indicated support for the social identity perspective. The applicant was evaluated more favorably when the affirmative action policy was perceived to be…

Reviews key 1997 judicial decisions relating to Title IX gender discrimination claims by students in higher education, decisions concerning California's Proposition 209 (designed to end "preferences" in education and other contexts), and the "McDonnell Douglas" burden-shifting framework for disparate race claims in the…

Discusses the legal problems with racial and ethnic preferences in college admissions processes noting that there are only three possible goals that are legally "compelling" for the use of preferences: prophylactically to avoid discriminating, as remedial discrimination to make up for past discrimination, and to foster student diversity. (DB)

Investigated the effectiveness of race sensitive college admission using data on 60,000 students admitted under race conscious policies. Students admitted under preferential policies (who would have been rejected under race-neutral policies) were qualified to attend their universities and graduated at high rates. Students believed that living and…

Joins the college access debate with an original proposal for fairness in college admissions. Tests an alternative method of college admissions, the "merit-aware model" proposed by William Goggin. First reconsiders the issue of racial preferences, then describes the merit-aware approach. Concludes with a few lessons that can inform admission…

In the first wave of participation in Modern Apprenticeships in Britain, 89% were male, only 3% were ethnic minorities. Ethnic and gender exclusion has been central to apprenticeship structure in both Britain and the United States. However, the pattern in the United States has begun to change due to affirmative action. (SK)

Reports that black students at selective U.S. colleges have high graduation rates, but black student graduation rates at flagship state universities and historically black colleges are far lower. These rates make a positive case for affirmative action at selective U.S. universities. Compares black and white graduation rates and presents data on…

Eliminating the Scholastic Aptitude Test for college admissions might seem a form of covert affirmative action. Although it is possible to design a workable admissions policy that excludes standardized tests (as 15 percent of colleges have done), banishing admissions tests to further a social-policy goal indirectly is unsound policy. (Contains 25…

Drawing on the experience at the University of Texas at Austin, explains how the "10 percent solution" has worked to ensure student diversity since it replaced affirmative action in the admission process. (EV)