Does Affirmative Action Hurt Black Law Students?

Does Affirmative Action Hurt Black Law Students?
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By KATHERINE S. MANGAN

A new study that challenges a ‘cherished’ admissions practice has critics lining up for a rebuttal

Affirmative action hurts black law students more than it helps them by bumping applicants up into law schools where they are more likely to earn poor grades, drop out, and fail their states’ bar exams, according to a forthcoming study by a law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The author, Richard H. Sander, argues that ending racial preferences in law-school admissions would increase the number of black lawyers because it would help ensure that students attend law schools where they are more likely to succeed.

One comment

  1. It’s a good article and brings up a good point. With the 2004 Election and the upcoming Supreme Court changes that are pretty much inevitable, Affirmative Action is on its way out the door and I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. I’ve always believed that disadvantage, in this time at least, is not about race, but about access and that is what AA should be based on.
    Just because a black person wants to get into Harvard doesn’t mean they should. There is this idea that if a white kid can’t make it it’s because they weren’t meant to, but if a black kid can’t it’s because of racism. If someone isn’t smart enough, you aren’t doing them any favors by giving them a job or a admitting them into a school where they can’t compete and will ultimately fail. It’s not all about opportunity. Just like most white and Asain people who want to go to Harvard, most blacks and Hispanics that want to go to Harvard just don’t belong there.

    11/12/2004 1:32:27 PM

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