An Equal Chance
By LANI GUINIER
New York Times Op/Ed, April 23, 1998
Now that the results are in, some opponents of affirmative action are having
second thoughts. One year after California passed a referendum banning the
use of race and ethnicity in public college admissions, the number of blacks,
Hispanics and American Indians admitted to the University of California's
two top campuses has dropped precipitously, leading to concern about the
resegregation of higher education.
But while the news from California is dismaying, a different, more encouraging
story is being written in Texas, a state with political leaders who see
diversity as a rich resource that benefits everyone, not only people of
color.
Last year, a Federal court outlawed consideration of race in higher-education
admissions in Texas. At the time, the state had been using high school grades
and Scholastic Assessment Test scores along with affirmative action criteria
to decide admissions. After the ruling, a panel of professors and community
activists joined a group of Hispanic and black lawmakers to persuade the
State Legislature to adopt what has come to be called the 10 percent plan.
This eliminated the use of S.A.T. scores for Texas students in the top 10
percent of their high school class and automatically admitted them to the
two most selective public schools, the University of Texas at Austin and
Texas A & M University.
At first, some critics objected that S.A.T. scores were indispensable measures
of future success. But, as the advisory group of professors and activists
pointed out, the best way to predict how a student will do in college is
by measuring classroom performance in high school. This was borne out when
achievement tests administered to the thousands of minority students admitted
through the program showed that only a handful needed remedial education.
So far the Texas plan has produced many winners. As of March of this year,
7 percent more black and 21 percent more Mexican-American applicants were
eligible for enrollment under this system than under the old affirmative
action guidelines. And access to public education has increased for white
high school graduates in rural parts of Texas -- students who also tend
not to do well on the S.A.T. and so had been refused admission to the most
competitive public colleges under the old system.
No wonder a number of moderate white legislators joined the coalition in
supporting the plan. As State Representative Irma Rangel pointed out, the
10 percent plan treats all groups equally, giving them "the respect
they deserve." Similarly, when Gov. George Bush, a Republican, signed
the bill, he declared, "We want all our students in Texas to have a
fair shot at achieving their dreams, and this legislation gives them that
fair shot."
Texas officials recognize that there is more to be done beyond rethinking
college admissions policy. They have also formulated new ideas for improving
primary schools. Schools and districts are now required to report test scores,
attendance and dropout rates by race, ethnicity and economic standing. Each
school is then rated according to the performance of the various ethnic
and economic groups. This means more attention is paid to every student,
and the entire class benefits.
As a result, black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students are
closing the achievement gap. On a national math test given in 1996, Texas
fourth graders in various categories -- white, black and poor students --
all ranked first in the country. By contrast, California, where politicians
have demonized issues of race, education and immigration, saw its fourth
graders, including white students, finish near the bottom, ahead of those
in only two other states.
Texas's innovative approaches, and its less polarized environment, are helping
to shift an increasingly narrow debate over affirmative action into a wider
public discussion on education. This also sends the message that access
and diversity are not the enemy of excellence.
New York Times Op/Ed, April 23, 1998
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Carl Gutierrez-Jones
Department of English
University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106
E-mail: carlgj@humanitas.ucsb.edu