Affirmative Action

Research related to Affirmative Action

Appearance and Reality in the Sunshine State: The Talented 20 Program in Florida

After a review of Florida state and institutional data and interviews with staff at five campuses of the Florida State University System and several Florida state agencies, this report describes the history, implementation, and effects of the Talented 20 Program. The report concludes that Talented 20 Plan is, in fact, not race-neutral and is not an effective alternative to race-conscious affirmative action.

Percent Plans in College Admissions: A Comparative Analysis of Three States’ Experiences

Our public schools are becoming increasingly segregated by race and income and the segregated schools are, on average, strikingly inferior in many important ways, including the quality and experience of teachers and the level of competition from other students. Given these facts, it is clear that students of different races do not receive an equal chance for college.

Trends in Public School Segregation in the South, 1987-2000

Our analyses show that segregation has remained at very high levels in most Southern states and districts, and has even increased by large amounts in many others. There does appear to be an important trend toward resegregation, but that trend is not uniform across the South. We also find that some trends are masked from one measure of segregation, but revealed by others, stressing the importance of the use of multiple measures and the examination of local situations.

Who Should We Help? The Negative Social Consequences of Merit Scholarships

From a civil rights standpoint, shifting from need-based to "merit" aid means shifting funds from blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans to whites and Asians, from city and rural residents to suburban residents, from children from one-parent families to those who have two parents.

A Public Laboratory Dewey Barely Imagined: The Emerging Model of School Governance and Legal Reform

Public school reform raises the prospect of a broader redefinition of our very democracy.