A stand for racial diversity in education

Miami Herald
Monday, 12.12.11
By MARY SANCHEZ


Barack Obama has deftly begun what could be his most significant legacy on racial equity. Did you miss it? Most people did.

This month, the administration sent new guidelines to the nation’s 17,000 school districts about how to address “racial isolation” in primary and secondary schools. It also sent new guidelines to college administrators about promoting racial diversity in admissions policies. The new directives are notable for the ways in which they reverse the spirit of George W. Bush’s 2008 dictate against race as a consideration for school admissions. Obama’s message was that schools and universities need to stay within the law, but that they may get creative in crafting policies that promote diversity. The administration says it will have their back, within constitutionally allowable limits.

It’s a critical difference in approach.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/09/2539344/a-stand-for-racial-diversity-in.html#ixzz1gLBfeVYA

Obama Administration Gives Colleges Broad Leeway on Affirmative Action

The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Peter Schmidt

Washington

The Obama administration on Friday released its first guidelines on affirmative action in higher education. In doing so, it showed that it takes an expansive view of the educational benefits of diversity and intends to give colleges and universities considerable leeway in determining whether they can achieve desired levels of diversity without explicitly considering applicants' ethnicity or race.

Full Story: http://chronicle.com/article/Obama-Administration-Gives/130008/