Can we incentivize school integration through the college process?
When it comes to longstanding issues like school segregation and a lack of diversity in higher education—it often feels like things will never change. And if they do change, it must be because they’re getting worse.
I have a story today in The Atlantic that explores a provocative new idea: using the college process to incentivize K-12 integration. What if applicants who attended schools with a certain threshold of low-income students (say, above 40 percent) were given priority in university admissions? In other words, what if admissions officers looked favorably on students who attended integrated institutions, much as they do those who have had unusual travel experiences or outstanding extracurricular achievements?
The idea has got strengths and weaknesses. I look at the political, policy, and legal implications, as well as some tangential ideas.
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