Despite two Supreme Court rulings on the issue since 2012, the future of affirmative action in college admissions is still unclear, and it remains one of the most contentious issues in the United States. In recent years, AERA’s journals have examined many aspects of affirmative action, including:
The following compendium of articles, provided "toll free" here, are inclusive of all substantive AERA journal content regarding affirmative action published since 2009. This page will be updated as new articles are published.
Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity: How Campus-Level Administrators Understand a Prohibition on Race-Conscious Postsecondary Admissions Policies American Educational Research Journal October 2015 Researchers found that the implementation of an affirmative action ban at the University of Michigan contributed to declines in student body diversity and negatively influenced work critical to the success of students of color. Authors: Liliana M. Garces, Courtney D. Cogburn
Balancing Liberty and Equality: Justice Kennedy’s Decisive Vote in Fisher v. University of Texas, Part II Educational Researcher October 2015 This essay considers the potential ramifications of the Supreme Court’s review of Fisher v. University of Texas, Austin with a specific focus on Justice Kennedy’s positions in previous cases to determine how he may vote. Authors: Liliana M. Garces
Changes in Levels of Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Response to Statewide Bans and Judicial Rulings Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis June 2014 The researchers have produced the first empirical estimates using national-level data to show the extent to which levels of affirmative action in college admissions decisions have changed during the period of 1992 to 2004. Authors: Grant H. Blume, Mark C. Long
Dynamic Diversity: Toward a Contextual Understanding of Critical Mass Educational Researcher March 2014 The concept of critical mass, which has become central in litigation efforts related to affirmative action admissions policies, is highlighted by the authors’ definition of dynamic diversity in this article. Authors: Liliana M. Garces, Uma M. Jayakumar
Diversity ≠ Inclusion: Promoting Integration in Higher Education Educational Researcher December 2013 The author argues that enrollment of a diverse student body should be only the first step toward the goal of broader social inclusion by focusing on organizational strategies and practices that promote meaningful social and academic interactions among students who differ in their experiences, views, and traits. Authors: Marta Tienda
Does Socioeconomic Diversity Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity on the Campus Climate for Diversity American Educational Research Journal June 2013 The authors’ findings indicate that both socioeconomic and racial diversity are essential to promoting a positive campus racial climate. Authors: Julie J. Park, Nida Denson, Nicholas A. Bowman
Affirmative Action Hanging in the Balance: Giving Voice to the Research Community in the Supreme Court Educational Researcher April 2013 An essay calling to provide the Supreme Court the best research findings the country can offer when the rights of U.S. students of color are at stake. Author: Gary Orfield
AERA et al. Amicus Brief: Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin Educational Researcher April 2013 The American Educational Research Association, along with six other organizations, submitted this brief in support of the respondents in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study American Educational Research Journal January 2013 Examining the effects of affirmative action bans in four states, this study finds that affirmative action bans have led to reductions in underrepresented minority participation in science-related fields. Author: Liliana M. Garces
When the Majority Rules: Ballot Initiatives, Race-Conscious Education Policy, and the Public Good Review of Research in Education March 2012 The authors explore how the policies affected by direct democratic ballot initiatives, such as affirmative action, affect the common good. Author: Michele S. Moses, Lauren P. Saenz
Moral and Instrumental Rationales for Affirmative Action in Five National Contexts Educational Researcher April 2010 The author clarifies the differing rationales for affirmative action in France, India, South Africa, the United States, and Brazil using examining social contexts and philosophical analysis. Author: Michele S. Moses
College Diversity Experiences and Cognitive Development: A Meta-Analysis Review of Research in Education March 2010 This study uses meta-analysis to examine the relationship between college diversity experiences and cognitive development. Author: Nicholas A. Bowman
Minority Student Academic Performance Under the Uniform Admission Law: Evidence From the University of Texas at Austin Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis March 2010 The authors examine University of Texas at Austin administrative data from three regimes: affirmative action (1990-1996), no rank or preference (1997) and top 10% sans race preference (1998-2004), finding that high school attended rather than test score is largely responsible for racial differences in college performance. Authors: Sunny X. Niu, Marta Tienda
Racial Diversity Matters: The Impact of Diversity-Related Student Engagement and Institutional Context American Educational Research Journal June 2009 Results from this study suggest that the benefits associated with diversity may be more far-reaching than previously documented. Authors: Nida Denson, Mitchell J. Chang
Blume, Grant H. – [email protected] -Changes in Levels of Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Response to Statewide Bans and Judicial Rulings
Bowman. Nicholas A. – [email protected] -College Diversity Experiences and Cognitive Development: A Meta-Analysis -Does Socioeconomic Diversity Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity on the Campus Climate for Diversity
Chang, Mitchell J. – [email protected] -Racial Diversity Matters: The Impact of Diversity-Related Student Engagement and Institutional Context
Cogburn, Courtney D. - [email protected] -Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity: How Campus-Level Administrators Understand a Prohibition on Race-Conscious Postsecondary Admissions Policies Denson, Nida – [email protected] -Does Socioeconomic Diversity Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity on the Campus Climate for Diversity -Racial Diversity Matters: The Impact of Diversity-Related Student Engagement and Institutional Context
Garces, Liliana M. – [email protected] -Beyond Declines in Student Body Diversity: How Campus-Level Administrators Understand a Prohibition on Race-Conscious Postsecondary Admissions Policies -Balancing Liberty and Equality: Justice Kennedy's Decisive Vote in Fisher v. University of Texas, Part II -Dynamic Diversity: Toward a Contextual Understanding of Critical Mass -Understanding the Impact of Affirmative Action Bans in Different Graduate Fields of Study
Jayakumar, Uma M. – [email protected] -Dynamic Diversity: Toward a Contextual Understanding of Critical Mass
Long, Mark C. – [email protected] -Changes in Levels of Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Response to Statewide Bans and Judicial Rulings
Moses, Michele S. – [email protected] -Moral and Instrumental Rationales for Affirmative Action in Five National Contexts -When the Majority Rules: Ballot Initiatives, Race-Conscious Education Policy, and the Public Good
Niu, Sunny X. – [email protected] -Minority Student Academic Performance Under the Uniform Admission Law: Evidence From the University of Texas at Austin
Orfield, Gary – [email protected] -Affirmative Action Hanging in the Balance: Giving Voice to the Research Community in the Supreme Court
Park, Julie J. – [email protected] -Does Socioeconomic Diversity Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity on the Campus Climate for Diversity
Saenz, Lauren P. – [email protected] -When the Majority Rules: Ballot Initiatives, Race-Conscious Education Policy, and the Public Good
Tienda, Marta – [email protected] -Diversity ≠ Inclusion: Promoting Integration in Higher Education -Minority Student Academic Performance Under the Uniform Admission Law: Evidence From the University of Texas at Austin