The recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions "Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College" (2023) and "Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina et al." (2023), hereafter collectively referred to as "SFFA v. Harvard," have garnered attention, especially among…

The most recent data on the labor force participation rate of individuals who identify as being blind or having vision loss in the United States indicate it is approximately 44%. In 2014, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs promulgated regulations pertaining to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to address the continued…

This article uses philosophical analysis to clarify the arguments and claims about racial discrimination brought forward in the recent legal challenges to affirmative action in higher education admissions. Affirmative action opponents have argued that elite institutions of higher education are using negative action against Asian American…

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.…

Public higher education has undergone a process similar to that in the national polity: a one-sided struggle by those with power to shape the institution to be more market driven, more focused on what will generate (non-state) revenues, more dominated by top administrators, and less concerned about the working class and people of color. This…

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…

This pamphlet is designed to help school personnel in Massachusetts achieve equal opportunity in physical education and sports programs for all students, regardless of sex. Answers are provided for some of the most commonly raised questions on this issue: (1) Do the regulations require that all physical education classes be coeducational? (2) Do…

The University of Massachusetts McCormack Institute Poll of attitudes and opinions related to the political, economic, and social life of Massachusetts was expanded in 1998 to include a larger sample of minority respondents than in previous years. In 1998, the sample included 127 African Americans, 114 Asian Americans, 107 Latinos, and 381 Whites.…

As a result of declining enrollment and newly instituted limitations on property taxes resulting from passage of Proposition 2 1/2, school districts in Massachusetts have been forced to reduce the size of their teaching staffs. The Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights sought to determine what steps were being…

Massachusetts's Chapter 622 and U.S. Title IX regulations both prohibit discrimination by educational institutions. This guide is designed to assist administrators, particularly in Massachusetts, in complying fully with the spirit and letter of these regulations. The guide is divided into thirteen chapters, seven of which use parallel format to…

The Massachusetts Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth prepared its first annual report on various issues of concern to homosexual youth. The Commission seeks to work on prevention of youth suicide, violence prevention, and prevention of problems faced by young homosexuals in schools and the family. The Commission sought information from a series…

This paper looks at the successful initiatives and unforeseen problems that have arisen in Massachusetts public education since the passage of the Public School Improvement Act of 1985, with a focus on the needs of Hispanic Americans. There is overwhelming evidence that the specific needs of Hispanic Americans are neither being identified nor met…

The life cycle of a faculty member from pre-employment through retirement is examined in these proceedings. Paper titles and authors are as follows: "The Role of Faculty in Obtaining Quality in Higher Education: Facing the New Realities" (Frank Newman); "The American Professoriate: Rewards and Satisfactions" (Eugene Rice);…

Guidelines to aid in formulating a workable career guidance program at the local level are provided in a handbook for Massachusetts counselors and educators. An overview of the handbook and a position paper of the State Board of Education are presented in chapter 1. The next five chapters discuss (1) program planning and development; (2) school…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This February 11, 2005 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "A Giant Eye on the Stars" (Lloyd, Marion); (2) "Taiwanese…