English 1301 02/02/12 Summary Response Essay “The Diversity Imperative” by Amara Phillip The article “The Diversity Imperative” written by Amara Phillip is a discussion of two Supreme Court cases, Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, which advocates the affirmative action and removes the racial discrimination in college entrance and unconstitutional admission policies. According to Phillip, the case was sued by white applicants from the University of Michigan demanding that they were denied the entrance because of their race. The results from this events created more methods of recruiting students into universities, one of this methods is the automatic admission to 10 percent students and the “socio economic model” ,which gives the low income and the working class students of all races a more desirable college entrance. On the other hand, these cases had provoked conflicts in many states; they want to prohibit public colleges from using race preferences and hold to what they call an “informal” point system. With this in mind, a holistic system began to be the new process of admission to college and larger universities, like UCLA, makes race a major factor for admissions.
The University of California was the first big affirmative action case in history. It set a precedent that would help future Supreme Courts with their decisions. The precedent was that colleges could take race and nationality into effect while considering students for admission, but could not make it a sole requirement. In this case, Bakke was refused entry 2 consecutive years. The university had a quota system set up that 16 of the 100 spots open for that program would go to minorities, and Bakke argued that this was unconstitutional.
In the following paragraphs you will soon come to find out my opinion on desegregation, and how it would be if someone had to go to a desegregate school back in the racist era. “The term 'desegregate' means open (a place) to members of all races and ethnic groups” The word “Desegregate” basically means to be in a multi race environment. In this day in time that’s what we as people live in, and function in, in everyday life. Back in the “Racist Era” there were a lot of things said about desegregates schools, work places, stores etc. Rather these faulty opinions, bias statements and ignorant acts of hate are justifiable or not here’s my opinion.
Assess the claim that ethnic differences in educational achievement are primarily the result of school factors (20 marks) Sociological research has challenged the view that ethnic differences in achievement reflect innate differences of intelligence and ability; this has become a view that very few sociologists now put forward. Ethnicity refers to the shared cultural traditions and history, which are distinct from other groups in society. The level of achievement of different ethnic groups varies greatly in Great Britain. This may be due to factors such as home background, class, language and in-school factors. Recent studies highlight the effects of racism.
Thus gave birth to the civil rights movement. One main focus was integration as a whole, and more specifically, in schools. In the court case Brown v. The Board of Education, stated that segregation in schools were unconstitutional, and thereby reversed the Plessey v. Ferguson case which originally stated that blacks and whites could be separate, but equal. In contribution, the Swann v. Mecklenburg Board of Education case (Doc H) also helped schools integrate. It called for children to attend schools based off of where they live.
In response to numerous unsuccessful attempts to ensure equal opportunities for all children, African American community leaders and organizations across the country stepped up efforts to change the educational system. In 1950 members of the Topeka, Kansas, Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) agreed to again challenge the "separate but equal" doctrine governing public education. The strategy was conceived by the chapter president, McKinley Burnett, and the law firm of Scott, Scott, Scott and Jackson. For a period of two years Mr. Burnett had attempted to persuade Topeka school officials to integrate their schools. This law suit was a final attempt.
Even though they said people would get treated “equally”, it was all lies. The black people were getting inferior accommodations, services, and treatment. A class action suit was filed against the Board of Education of the city of Topeka, Kansas in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas in 1951. The plaintiffs consisted of thirteen parents of twenty children who attended the Topeka School District. They filed the suit hoping that the school district would change its policy of racial segregation.
The case of Brown v. Board of Education was a huge turning point for African Americans to becoming accepted into white society at the time. (Tashnet 62) Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education it was about being equal in a society that claims African Americans were treated equal, when in fact they were definitely not. This case was the starting point for many Americans to realize that separate but equal did not work. Brown v. Board of Education brought this out, this case was the reason that blacks and whites no longer have separate restrooms and water fountains, this was the case that truly destroyed the saying separate but equal, Brown vs. Board of education truly made everyone equal. The Supreme Court jointed five cases under the heading of Brown vs. Board of Education, because each sought after the same legal outcome.
This achievement gap is present before children even start school. Through slavery and legal segregation, today’s racialized social hierarchy, and personal views of educators, racial discrimination has become the basis for today’s black-white achievement gap in education. According to the Department of Education, the achievement gap refers to the observed disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by race and ethnicity. It is measured by standardized tests required by the No Child Left Behind Act, GPA’s, high school dropout rates, and college completion and drop-out rates (ED.gov). The No Child Left Behind act was put in place by George W. Bush in 2001.
The Civil Rights Act that had set up the idea of affirmative action was created in 1964. By 1978 the famous case we have heard of known as the Bakke case had been in the courts. In this case a white male was denied admission into the University of California's medical school. Because of the affirmative action case that had been set up in 1964, less qualified individuals were accepted to this medical school whereas he was not because he was not of a minority. There are several cases about education and the affirative actions concept that have made it to the supreme court.