Advertisement
The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
The affirmative-action debate is back: Two controversial school-integration cases are awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. When white families in Seattle and Louisville sued their respective school districts for denying their children admission to neighborhood schools due to race-based integration policies, they argued that using race as a factor in school admissions is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal-protection clause. Their opponents, however, maintain that many public schools are still suffering from de facto segregation, and that integration efforts are necessary to offer equal opportunities to minority students and uphold diversity in schools. Tell us what you think.
Are school-integration policies constitutional?
Yes. Policies that use race as one of many factors in school admissions help maintain educational equality for all students. Also, diversity fosters interracial harmony and contributes to student achievement.
23% (9 votes)
No. It is unjust to deny a student admission to a school based on his or her racial background. School-assignment policies should be color blind in order to guarantee equal protection under the law.
23% (9 votes)
Yes, but race-based integration policies don’t necessarily function the way they’re intended to. There are other, more effective ways to create equal educational opportunities for all students.
46% (18 votes)
None of the above.
8% (3 votes)
Total votes: 39
