Even with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike affirmative action, there are still ways to get diverse student populations into higher ed, experts and scholars said at a webinar hosted this week by California student success organization The Campaign for College Opportunity.
Mamie Voight
Citing Chief Justice John Robert’s majority decision on the matter, EducationCounsel co-founder Art Coleman said that it was still possible to strategize and innovate to promote access, equity, and diversity in higher ed.
“For the immediate term, I think the fundamental focus is likely to be on the embrace of the court's recognition that nothing in the opinion should prohibit institutions from considering the authentic, the real lived experience and perspective of applicants that may be associated with their racial identity and experience, tied to the qualities they seek to advance through admission-oriented policies and practices," Coleman said.
Along that same line, experts spent the webinar discussing strategies and recent briefs on equitable admissions in higher ed, specifically on topics such as recruitment, legacy admissions, early action practices, test-optional and test-free policies, and holistic review of student applications.
Lisa Holder, president of the Equal Justice Society, said that one way to view and strengthen diversity efforts was to start closer to the beginning of students’ academic journeys by creating more pre-K-12 opportunities.
"We should be thinking about cradle-to-career opportunity, how education from the cradle to career is the great equalizer, and making sure it remains so," Holder said.
Intentionality from institutions in terms of which high schools and communities they choose to invest recruitment efforts in was a key component that was highlighted. Research indicated that many schools prioritized predominantly white and affluent high schools and communities when recruiting, said Mamie Voight, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), which authored the first of the three briefs.
