SEPTEMBER 22, 2023:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s education chief says he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving preference to the children of alumni and donors. In an interview with The Associated Press, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says legacy admissions must be revisited for the sake of diversity on campuses following the recent Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. In a step beyond his previous comments, Cardona says he will consider taking stronger action to deter the practice. The federal government oversees vast sums of money that go to colleges in the form of student financial aid and research grants.
Extended version:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s education chief said he’s open to using “whatever levers” are available — including federal money — to discourage colleges from giving admissions preference to the children of alumni and donors.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said legacy admissions must be revisited for the sake of diversity on campuses following the recent Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. In a step beyond his previous comments, Cardona said he would consider taking stronger action to deter the practice.
“I would be interested in pulling whatever levers I can pull as secretary of Education to ensure that, especially if we’re giving out financial aid and loans, that we’re doing it for institutions that are providing value,” Cardona said Wednesday. He made the remark when asked about using federal money as a carrot or rod on legacy admissions.
Legacy admissions, long seen as a perk for the white and wealthy at selective colleges, have come under renewed fire since the ruling in June that colleges can no longer consider the race of applicants. By banning affirmative action but allowing legacy preferences, critics say the court left admissions even more lopsided against students of color.
Cardona didn’t elaborate on his options, but the federal government oversees vast sums of money that go to colleges in the form of student financial aid and research grants. The Education Department can also issue fines for civil rights violations, including racial discrimination.
The agency recently opened an investigation at Harvard University after a federal complaint alleged that legacy admissions amount to racial discrimination.
A handful of small colleges have disavowed legacy admissions in the wake of the affirmative action decision, but there’s been no sign of change in the upper echelons of America’s universities.
Some colleges and alumni defend the practice, saying it builds community and encourages fundraising. And as campuses become more diverse, they argue, the benefit increasingly extends to students of color and their families.
Cardona, who attended a technical high school and earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University, has added his voice to the advocates, civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers denouncing the practice.
“Your last name could get you into a school, or the fact that you can write a check could get you into a school,” he said. But using affirmative action to promote diversity — “that tool was taken away.”
Still, he shied away from supporting a ban of the type proposed by some Democrats in Congress and in several states. Cardona sees it as a matter of local control, with universities having the final decision.
“There is no edict coming from the secretary of Education,” he said.
Without action, Cardona warned that the nation could face the same setbacks seen in California after it ended affirmative action in 1996. The state’s most selective colleges saw steep decreases in Black and Latino enrollment, and the numbers never fully rebounded.
“If we go the route that California went when they abolished affirmative action, what chance do we have competing against China?” Cardona said. “This is more than just ensuring diverse learning environments. This is about our strength as a country.”
Advocates have also pushed the Education Department to start collecting data showing the number and demographics of legacy students.
“I was hopeful we’d be seeing more colleges volunteering to drop it,” said James Murphy, a deputy director at Education Reform Now, a nonprofit think tank. “I think I think they’ve got to keep the pressure on and shine a light on it.”
On other issues:
— Cardona said during the interview that students should be taught about the impact of slavery, including effects that linger today. When slavery ended, it didn’t end the belief in some that African Americans were inferior, and the country is still seeing the effects of unfair housing and lending policies adopted in more recent decades, he said.
“What we don’t want to do is hide the truth and act as if it didn’t happen, or that when it ended, everything was fine. I definitely don’t want to teach that there were some benefits to that for those who were enslaved,” he said.
His remarks were a veiled reference to new education standards in Florida, endorsed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, that require instruction that enslaved people developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Conservatives in many states have pushed for restrictions around how schools address topics related to race and slavery.
— He said “schools should be open, period,” even if there is a new COVID-19 surge. “I worry about government overreach, sending down edicts that will lead to school closures because either folks are afraid to go in or are infected and can’t go,” he said.
He said the sense of community was lost when schools closed early in the pandemic, and that in-person instruction “should not be sacrificed for ideology.”
— Cardona declined to speculate on what the administration’s new student loan forgiveness proposal might look like or whether a final regulation could be in place before the 2024 presidential election. “We are going to work as quickly as possible,” he said. “We know there are students that are waiting, borrowers that are waiting. So many folks are struggling right now to get back up.”
MAY 30, 2023:
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most people in the U.S. say the court should allow consideration of race as part of the admissions process. Yet few believe students’ race should play a significant role in those decisions. A poll (May 2023) from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 63% say the Supreme Court should not stop colleges from considering race or ethnicity in their admission systems. The poll shows little divide along political or racial lines. People are more likely to say grades and standardized test scores should be significant factors. Lawsuits are challenging admissions systems at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
Extended version:
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions, according to a new poll.
The May (2023) poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 63% say the Supreme Court should not block colleges from considering race or ethnicity in their admission systems. The poll found little divide along political or racial lines.
But those polled were more likely to say factors including grades and standardized test scores should be important, while 68% of adults said race and ethnicity should not be a significant factor.
The poll reflects general support for affirmative action even as the future of the practice remains in doubt. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on lawsuits challenging admissions systems at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. With a conservative majority on the court, many college leaders are bracing for a decision that could scale back or eliminate the use of race in admissions.
Americans’ views on race in admissions — that it should be permitted but only be a small factor — generally line up with the way colleges say they use it.
Many colleges, especially selective ones, say race is one of many factors that officials can weigh when choosing which students get accepted. They say it is not a large influence but may sometimes give an edge to underrepresented students in close decisions. Colleges defend the practice as a way to bring a wide mix of students to campus, saying racial diversity benefits all students.
It’s unknown how many colleges consider race in admissions, and the practice has been outlawed in nine states, including California, Michigan and Florida.
Layla Trombley sees it as a matter of fairness. White students have long had the upper hand in admissions because of institutional racism, said Trombley, 47, who is half Black. Affirmative action helps even the playing field, she said.
“It seems like it’s hard to get in if you don’t have that help, just because we’re not traditionally thought of as industrious or smart or hardworking,” she said.
She said she experienced that kind of bias growing up in a mostly white area. At school, it felt like she was always underestimated, she said.
“It’s under the radar,” said Trombley, of Cortland, New York, who calls herself politically moderate. “It’s not said directly, but it’s implied, like, ‘You’re really good at this, but why don’t you try this?’”
In Roswell, Georgia, Andrew Holko also says colleges should be allowed to factor race in its admissions decisions. He sees it as a tool to offset imbalances in America’s public schools, where those in wealthy, white areas tend to get more money from taxes and parent groups than those in Black neighborhoods.
He sees that happen in areas like nearby Cobb County in Georgia, where schools in the predominantly Black southern end of the county are poorer than those in whiter areas of the suburban Atlanta county
“They don’t have computers to study with,” said Holko, 49, who is white and describes himself as politically independent. “They don’t have tutoring services available. He added: “Affirmative action is necessary to overcome those disparities.”
In Holko’s view, race should be a factor of “high importance” to make sure college campuses reflect the racial makeup of their communities.
Among all Americans, 13% said they think race should be a very or extremely important part of the admission process, according to the poll, while 18% said it should be somewhat important. Black and Hispanic adults were the most likely to say it should be at least very important.
The poll found similar views when it comes to considering gender in admissions — 9% of adults said it should be very important, 14% somewhat important and 77% not very or not at all important. Men and women shared similar views on the role of gender.
By contrast, 62% of Americans think high school grades should be very important, 30% said they should be somewhat important. Nearly half said standardized test scores should be very important.
To Jana Winston, college admissions should be a matter of merit and nothing more. Students should be chosen based on their grades, test scores and extracurricular activities, she said.
“I don’t think race should have anything in the world to do with it,” said Winston, of Batesburg-Leesville, who is half white and half Cherokee.
Giving a preference to students of certain races is unfair to others who are just as academically qualified, she said.
“There’s a lot of kids that work really, really hard, and I don’t like the idea of them being pushed out of the way just because the college feels like they need to do something politically correct,” said Winston, 50, who is politically moderate and works at Walmart.
The Supreme Court has upheld affirmative action in decisions reaching back to 1978. The lawsuits at Harvard and UNC accuse those schools of discriminating against white and Asian students. Lower courts upheld admissions systems at both schools.
Many colleges also consider athletics when reviewing applicants, but the poll found that most Americans say it should have little influence. Just 9% say athletic ability should be very important, 29% say it should be somewhat important.
Similarly, few think family ties should be much of a factor.
Just 9% said it should be very important that a family member attended the school, and 18% said it should be somewhat important. Views were similar when it came to students whose families had donated to the university, with just 10% saying donations should be highly important.
The practice of giving a boost to children of alumni, known as legacy preference, has come under criticism in recent years from critics who say it favors wealthy, white students. Some prominent schools have abandoned it, such as Amherst College and Johns Hopkins University.
If the Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action, some education experts believe more colleges will follow suit and drop legacy preferences to remove an obstacle for students of color.
Views on the Supreme Court overall have become more negative after last year’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to ban or severely limit access to abortion. About 12% of Americans said they have a great deal of confidence in the court, while 48% have only some confidence, and 39% have hardly any, according to the poll.
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