The recollections of sixteen African American administrators who were some of the first hired in de/segregated school districts in the North are analyzed in order to understand their work lives and experiences in district processes. Findings are analyzed through the lens of workforce diversity perspectives. Five themes emerged from the data…

What explains the rise of race-conscious affirmative action policies in undergraduate admissions? The dominant theory posits that adoption of such policies was precipitated by urban and campus unrest in the North during the late 1960s. Based on primary research in a sample of 17 selective schools, we find limited support for the dominant theory.…

Low Income;This article examines instances of housing discrimination against Latinos in the Chicago suburbs through several interviews with thirty-four Latino families who live in towns with a recent history of controversies around fair housing. Whether they are living in the central city or in the suburbs, Latinos continue to experience housing…

This article presents an interview with Ronald Takaki, a prolific and respected author and a successful teacher who wrote a number of important histories that explore the cultural diversity of the United States of America, including "From Different Shores: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in America" (1994), "Strangers from a…

The goal of the Florida Department of Corrections is to be innovative leader in the criminal justice system, to be best-managed public agency in the Florida state government, and to be number-one correctional system in the nation. The Illinois Department of Corrections has initiated aggressive efforts to recruit qualified minority applicants to…

Efforts to expand diversity in the health professions has received a boost from a prominent member of Congress. U.S. Senator Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, recently introduced a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act as part of a comprehensive initiative to improve the health of minority and other underserved populations. This bill, which is being…

Race-exclusive programs of American universities and colleges, created initially to level the playing fields for under-represented students in higher education, are now considered discriminatory and illegal. The concerns levied against higher education institutions have been in response to two 2003 U.S. Supreme Court cases on race and admission at…

A performance audit examined immediate, intermediate, and long-range effects of two minority graduate fellowship programs sponsored by the state of Illinois, the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program (IMGIP) and the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunity Program (ICEOP). Findings show the diversification of minority doctoral study…

"National CrossTalk" is a publication of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The National Center promotes public policies that enhance opportunities for quality education and training beyond high school. The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher…

Women account for 63 percent of the teaching force but only 8 percent of the total general administrative positions in downstate Illinois schools. Since 1950, women's presence in administrative positions has declined, especially in regard to the elementary principalship. Women administrators tend to be older, with more experience, and earn lower…

The Committee on Affirmative Action was charged by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in March 1975 to address two topics: (1) development of positive affirmative action programs at all levels of higher education employment, and (2) development of programs to increase minority and women student enrollment. The committee focused its study on…

Recent studies and personal narratives suggest a connection between the low academic achievement of Latina/o students in the United States to the lack of care they experience in schools. The author reports on a study he conducted of the Chicago-based Pedro Albizu Campos Alternative High School, focusing on the experiences of its students and…

In May 1986, the Illinois Board of Higher Education adopted procedures and requirements for addressing the underrepresentation of minorities, females, and the handicapped in public higher education. The university governing boards and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) have since been required to periodically report and assess their…

The public service role (PSR) of the University of Illinois and Parkland College in the black community of Champaign-Urbana was studied in a project funded under Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965, channeled through the Illinois Board of Higher Education. As a pilot project, PSR explored current public service efforts by higher education…

Teacher employment patterns in metropolitan Chicago (Illinois) were studied using data from the Illinois State Board of Education. Findings show no signs of affirmative action in many of the region's rapidly growing school systems. In many of the metropolitan area's districts, there is a persistence of segregated employment patterns and the…