Affirmative Action for the Rich

The New York Times
by Richard Kahlenberg
November 13, 2011

While affirmative action policies for students of color have been the subject of countless books, lawsuits, and voter initiatives, much less attention has been paid to legacy preferences, which benefit a larger number of students. It’s time for the scrutiny to increase and the policies to end.
Rewarding birth rather than merit is un-American and possibly illegal.
Legacy preferences provide the equivalent of a 160 point boost on the math and verbal SATs, not the “tiebreaker” that many universities claim . These preferences disproportionately benefit wealthy white students, providing, in essence, affirmative action for the rich.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/11/13/why-do-top-schools-still-take-legacy-applicants/affirmative-action-for-the-rich