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.

Lumina Foundation for Education Awards $4.5 Million to Minority-Serving Institutions

The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education has announced nine grants totaling $4.5 million to foster models of success among minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Grants were awarded to organizations working to improve the capacity of MSIs to collect, analyze, and use data to inform decisions that promote student success; create a collective voice for policy advocacy on behalf of MSIs; strengthen policy and practice to improve developmental education; increase MSIs' commitment to transparency and effectiveness in improving student learning outcomes; and increase postsecondary completion rates for traditionally underserved students, especially men of color.

Full-text post is available via Philanthropy News Digest, 11/3/09.