Equity Matters

The Supreme Court has upheld the use of affirmative action in college admissions numerous times, but the Court may end the practice this summer when it renders its decisions in challenges to the use of affirmative action by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. A question frequently raised about affirmative action is whether racial and ethnic minority students who benefit from affirmative action are successful in the academically demanding context of selective colleges. Amy Lutz, a sociologist at Syracuse University's Maxwell School, discusses resent research she and her colleagues have published addressing this question. Dr. Lutz also discusses other issues related to affirmative action and makes an appeal to the Supreme Court justices to affirm the legitimacy of race conscious admission policies. Read the Policy Brief: Affirmative Action is a Successful Policy for Diversity in College Graduation https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1473&context=cpr Music: "Bluenotation" by Ezra Skull, used under license from ccMixter

Bob Bifulco and Sarah Souders join to discuss their latest research on racial disparities in school poverty and spending. They find that the typical Black and Hispanic student is exposed to nearly twice the rate of school poverty compared to the typical White student. In addition, cost-adjusted spending in the typical Black and Hispanic students’ schools is only 88% of that in the average white student’s school. Hosted/edited/mixed by Tyler Bond. Read the paper: https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1466&context=cpr Music: "Bluenotation" by Ezra Skull, used under license from ccMixter.

Ying Shi and Maria Zhu join to discuss their cutting-edge research on teacher racial & ethnic bias. They find that teachers systematically rate Black and Hispanic students less favorably than White and Asian students, even among students with identical test scores. In addition, the presence of any Asian student in the classroom exacerbates pre-existing teacher biases. This suggests that the “model minority” stereotype can negatively impact other minority groups despite its positive connotation. Hosted by Bob Bifulco, Director of the Program on Educational Equity & Policy (PEEPs) at Syracuse University. Edited/mixed by Tyler Bond. READ THE PAPER: https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1464&context=cpr Music: "Bluenotation" by Ezra Skull, used under license from ccMixter.

Sean J. Drake joins to discuss his recent book, Academic Apartheid: Race and the Criminalization of Failure in an American Suburb. Drawing on more than two years of ethnographic observation and dozens of interviews at two distinct high schools in a racially diverse Southern California suburb, Drake unveils hidden institutional mechanisms that lead to the overt segregation and symbolic criminalization of Black, Latinx, and lower-income students who struggle academically. Hosted/edited/mixed by Tyler Bond. Buy the book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520381377/academic-apartheid Music: "Bluenotation" by Ezra Skull, used under license from ccMixter.