Is Affirmative Action Dead?

Hey Wise Ones,

The U.S. Supreme Court dropped a bomb this week. Affirmative Action is no more. Legacy admissions already under fire. Impacts in corporate DEI programs seem likely. Biggest change in education legislature since the end of ‘separate but equal?’ Probably.

Do let us know what you’d like to learn more about in future issues. You the best,

Michael & Stella

P.S. Happy Fourth to those celebrating! 🇺🇸

Affirmative Action in Education ruled unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.

• The result of Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College is a striking reversal of previous support Affirmative Action based on race in educational contexts.

• Chief Justice Roberts writes in his opinion, “Many universities have for too long...concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual's identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin…Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

• Op-eds are flying. Coleman Hughes’s piece may be the best of the lot so far (in support of the ruling). Frank Sotomayor’s in support of Affirmative Action.

Why It Matters:

• Most importantly, for students and families wanting to pursue higher education, this ruling will undeniably have downstream impacts.

• The result is likely to reduce racial diversity in higher education (as seen from 9 states already banning affirmative action).

• Thousands of universities may be required to modify their admissions policies. Some, including Harvard, have already issued statements.

• The ruling is likely to re-ignite ‘culture wars’ leading up to the 2024 election. President Biden already had a thing or two to say about it, as did DoE Secretary Cardona.

• Legacy-based admissions and potentially athletics-based admissions appear next on the chopping block.

Dinner Table Debate:

• Legal precedents aside, what factors should be included in university admissions criteria? If forced to rank them in priority order, what should they be?

Did You Know?

• Affirmative Action (as we knew it) started with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, responsible for enforcing the law.

Financial Literacy Classes now required to graduate high school in Louisiana.

• Course contents include balancing a checkbook (really?!), basic principles of money management, managing debt, and even some more complex topics such as federal and state finance laws.

• Though globally competitive, adults from the United States ranks below countries such as Canada, the U.K. Germany, Israel, Australia, and all of the Nordics on financial literacy surveys.

• Not everyone thinks it’s a great idea. Three professors from Harvard, Wellesley, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago even produced a working paper demonstrating financial literacy courses made no difference in high schoolers’ actual ability to handle finances.

Why It Matters:

• Over 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and can’t set aside any money for short-term or long-term financial goals.

• There is mounting scientific evidence that links financial instability with mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

• Student loans in the U.S. are a mess. Students (and the country!) might have benefitted from more financial literacy courses…

Dinner Table Debate:

• If you wanted to add financial literacy to a mandatory curriculum, but in so doing, needed to remove a ‘core’ subject, which one would you choose and why? (Pick from: English / Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies / History, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Computer Science)

Did You Know?

• For all the talk about “How come we don’t require financial literacy in the classroom?” there are 22 states that have similar requirements on the books. More than we originally thought!

A Never-ending Saga: School Prayer Up for Debate, Again.

• What’s the Status Quo? “A public school and its officials may not prescribe prayers to be recited by students or by school authorities.”

• But in a handful of US states (Kentucky, Montana, and Texas), lawmakers have proposed measures to promote faith in public schools. In Texas, schools may even need to post the Ten Commandments.

Why It Matters:

• When segmenting by faith, there exist striking differences in educational attainment. (2016 here shows changes over time)

• While your author generally prefer educational pluralism, that’s not the case

Dinner Table Debate:

• What is the best path forward for schools to accommodate students from minority faiths? What about multi-faith backgrounds?

Did You Know?

• The number of students attending Catholic Schools around the world has nearly doubled in the last 50 years. 60+ Million students globally now attend them. That was a surprise trend to me!

Quick Reads:

• Google backs $20M effort to train students for key cybersecurity jobs.

• Study: Small number of teachers double racial discipline gap.

• Indian EdTech Unicorn Byju’s continues to stumble.

• NYC Mayor’s solution to stress in schools? Deep breathing.