By accepting two appeals on the voluntary use of race in assigning students to public schools, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely decide the constitutionality of widespread practices that school districts use to promote diversity. And the decision could affect schools in unforeseen ways. In both cases, parents of white children have challenged…

This paper explains people's preferences for ethnic and racial diversity in higher education through a model based on self-interest. Although all citizens from the majority group value diversity and their own education in the same way, their preferences for the level of diversity as well as the means of achieving it depend on their competitive…

Argues that the current re-evaluation of racial preferences is unlikely to make a complete victory for either side of the affirmative action debate. Many types of compromise are possible, six of which are described. Suggests the courts should limit themselves to principled decision making in cases involving racial preference. (SLD)

Discusses the philosophy of John Rawls, asserting that although Rawls never wrote about affirmative action, his ideas are relevant to the issue. Rawls concentrated on "ideal theory," which he believed was the theory of what constituted a truly just society. He considered slavery and racial segregation paradigms of injustice. His ideal…

Scholars who have examined the Black presence in elite colleges and universities have reported that 41 percent of Black freshmen at 28 selective schools identified themselves as immigrants, children of immigrants or mixed race. While schools have not yet clarified their position on affirmative action with regard to native Black American students,…

Discusses the predictive validity of commonly used tests for educational and employment screening and selection in affirmative action. Examines ways the development and use of psychological tests for educational and employment screening may contribute to the search for a politically feasible affirmative action to promote the inclusion in education…

It's not clear how supportive African Americans are of racial preferences. Supporters of preferences like to use the term "affirmative action," which is supported by most African Americans, but it is not the same thing. The old forms of affirmative action--positive, proactive measures to end discrimination, and aggressive outreach and recruiting…

This book examines the law and politics surrounding the Bakke case ("Regents of the University of California v. Bakke") and discusses the key arguments presented by both sides in the context of the current eroding public support for affirmative action. The goal is to elucidate the dynamics of U.S. Supreme Court decision making and…

The assertion of the right of higher education institutions to use racial preferences in their admissions policies has been based on the diversity rationale that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell articulated in his opinion in the "Bakke v. Regents of the University of California" case of 1978. This report explores the legal and…

Both critics and supporters of affirmative action cite the commitment of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to diversity in the undergraduate population as an example supporting their positions. Merit, diversity, and family income are weighed in applicant processing. (MSE)

The University of Virginia admits proportionately more blacks and children of alumni than other groups. Some other groups also get preferential treatment in admissions: athletes, musicians, artists, applicants from rural areas, children of faculty, female scientists, and other minority group members. (MSE)

This paper explains how upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger are expected to broadly affect the future of race-conscious affirmative action. In these cases, the Supreme Court addresses the constitutionality of admissions policies at the University of Michigan designed to promote educational diversity…

In 1999, Florida implemented the One Florida Initiative, a plan to end race-conscious decision making in employment, contracting, and higher education. The proposal for higher education was to replace race-conscious admissions with the Talented 20 Program, a policy that in theory would increase access for underrepresented students without…

The determination of acceptable performance in Thorndike's constant ratio standard of fair selection is considered. It is shown that suitable choice of acceptable performance can make any minority-majority selection disparity consistent with Thorndike's standard. A rule for determining acceptable performance which avoids the Petersen-Novick…

Provides responses from a small group of conservative scholars concerning the compromise proposed by Dr. James Q. Wilson indicating that the nation will allow some affirmative action in the form of race-based preferential admissions at the undergraduate level, but not in graduate programs. (GR)