By Cozette Calderon
Recently, affirmative action has been scrutinized by the U.S. government. The Supreme Court deemed race-based admission and affirmative action to be unconstitutional, and placed a ban on the practice at a college level. However, K-12 schools have been allowed to use race-neutral means to achieve a more diverse student body. Though it seemed that the topic of race-based admissions was settled, a recent court case sparked more discussion around the topic.
A recent court case concerning race-based admissions was brought to the Supreme Court. The case aimed to have the court determine the constitutionality of having high schools use race-neutral admission policies. The ending to the case was anticlimactic because the Supreme Court declined to even view the case. However, this was a victory for the high school involved—Thomas Jefferson High School in West Virginia.
Though high schools have been allowed to use race-neutral practices to try and boost enrollment of diverse students, families have argued that such practices fail to fully be neutral, still including racial biases. Parents argue that the practices are biased against Asian Americans and white students.
At Thomas Jefferson High School, a few policies have been enacted with the goal of achieving diversity. When students apply to the school, the admission officers do not know the name, sex, or ethnicity of the student. Additionally, the kids that apply from historically underrepresented middle schools or who qualify for free school lunches are considered for enrollment at higher rates than before. Grades are also considered less important in the admission process. Rather, admission officers focus on the individual experiences of the applicant. In the case of Thomas Jefferson High School, the case was completely discarded. However, there are a few competitive high schools in Boston that are under fire for their temporary practice of requiring zip codes and parent’s salaries. Parents argue that white and Asian American students are discriminated against in the admission process because of said previous requirements. However, when this case against the Boston schools was brought to trial, the court ruled in favor of the Boston schools because there was no direct evidence that white and Asian American students were actively being discriminated against.
In the case of the Boston court case, the issue was not necessarily with the “race-neutral” policies but with the intent behind them. Parents were questioning if these policies were formed to purposefully discriminate against certain groups.
People are speculating that Thomas Jefferson High School’s application process may cause widespread change because of its ability to evade the Supreme Court’s authority. People argue that colleges may adapt the same practices as a way to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision while trying to create racial diversity within higher levels of education.
Many view these practices as a step towards squashing any remaining racial discrimination in the education system, while others argue that by not allowing race to be seen in the admission process, inequality will only deepen. Though many thought that race-based admission processes would be an old and outdated topic after the ruling of the Supreme Court, they are now finding that even the highest court in America can’t bring about a nationwide consensus about what will truly provide the best version of equality in education.
Information thanks to:
beniciapaw.com 