Higher Education and the Color Line
College Access, Racial Equity, and Social Change
Edited by Gary Orfield, Patricia Marin, and Catherine L. Horn
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision upholding affirmative action, this comprehensive and timely book outlines the agenda for achieving racial justice in higher education in the next generation. Weaving together current research and a discussion of overarching demographic, legal, and political issues, the book focuses on the racial transformation of higher education and the structural barriers that perpetuate racial stratification at the postsecondary level.Higher Education and the Color Line includes chapters that outline the demographic changes in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary school enrollment; the evolving role of law and policy; the barriers faced by minority college students; and the kinds of programs that best serve them. Topics addressed include financial aid; the role of community colleges; nontraditional paths to postsecondary education; and the role of higher education in social and economic mobility. In addition to providing a thorough and up-to-date assessment of the state of racial integration in higher education, the book goes beyond the usual black-and-white analysis to provide a multiethnic perspective supported by extensive new data.
Taken together, these discussions examine the role of higher education in opening up equal opportunity for mobility in American society--or in reinforcing the segregation between white and nonwhite America. It provides insight for how institutions, states, and the country should be thinking about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s hope that affirmative action will no longer be needed in 25 years.
Praise:
“Today more than ever, higher education stands as the gateway to the kind of society we will become. Higher Education and the Color Line is a major contribution to contemporary debates about how that gateway should be constructed against the backdrop of race, gender, and class in American society.”—Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University
“Inclusion is the single greatest challenge facing colleges and universities in the United States. This is especially true in states like California, where the so-called minority will soon be the majority. This book is an incredible resource for those of us on the front lines who are trying to ensure that our institutions serve the entire population, not just those who by virtue of an accident of birth are among the privileged classes.”
—Robert J. Birgeneau, Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley
“This outstanding book presents leading-edge research on racial inequality in higher education and specific policy recommendations to improve minority access and success. It is unique in that it pays equal attention to African American and Latino issues. Anyone who is concerned with equal opportunity in higher education will find it indispensable.”
—Jorge Chapa, Director of Latino Studies Program, Indiana University, Bloomington
Highlights from Inside:
- The Racial Transformation of Higher Education
- Higher Education as a Strategy of Social Mobility
- Can Minority Students Afford College in an Era of Skyrocketing Tuition?
- Exemplary Programs for Retaining and Supporting Students of Color