A lot of what you’ve heard about affirmative action is wrong
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions is certain to ripple across higher education for years. Debate in the lead-up to the court’s decision has ignited passions about accessibility, fairness and merit in the complex admissions process — and stirred up some misconceptions about affirmative action.
Educators worry about how they will continue to bring in a racially diverse student body — and how to pay for the costly measures to do so — now that it is illegal to consider race in admissions decisions.
Common misunderstandings about the role and practice of affirmative action include:
Affirmative action uses racial quotas
Not correct. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the use of racial quotas in a 1978 ruling involving Allan Bakke, a white man who was
