The Power of Race

New research on admissions at elite colleges shows the role of affirmative action, the extent and limits of cross-racial interaction among students, and significant gaps in academic performance. Based on these findings, and the reality that some states have barred affirmative action and that the U.S. Supreme Court's blessing for consideration of race in admissions came with a 25-year time limit, the authors suggest that it's time for a massive federally supported effort, equivalent in intensity to the Manhattan Project, to determine the source of academic achievement gaps and to develop plans to shrink them.

Full text post by Scott Jaschik is available via Inside Higher Ed, 11/3/09.