The Obama administration, hoping to end ‘racial isolation’, has issued new guidelines for schools that instruct them to consider race over merit when admitting students into new programs, for the sake of diversity:
CNSNews.com – The Departments of Justice and Education on Monday released new guidelines intended to help grade schools and universities “promote diversity” and reduce “racial isolation,” even if it means students with the highest scores are left out. …
“Racial isolation remains far too common in America’s classrooms today and it is increasing,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “This denies our children the experiences they need to succeed in a global economy, where employers, co-workers, and customers will be increasingly diverse. It also breeds educational inequity, which is inconsistent with America’s core values.” …
Some of the examples included in the document make it clear that the goal of achieving diversity is more important than allowing schools to select the brightest students.
Under the guidelines on admitting students to competitive schools or programs, the administration offers the following example: “A school district could identify race-neutral criteria for admission to a school (e.g., minimum academic qualifications and talent in art) and then conduct a lottery for all qualified applicants rather than selecting only those students with the highest scores under the admission criteria, if doing so would help to achieve racial diversity or avoid racial isolation.”
Another example says: “If it would help achieve racial diversity or avoid racial isolation, a school district could decide to admit all applicants with grades that put them within the top quartile of their class at the schools from which the competitive program draws.”
—