Title: The Playbook: Understanding the Role of Race Neutral Strategies in Advancing Higher Education Diversity Goals
Source: College Board and Education Counsel
Author: Arthur L. Coleman, Jamie Lewis Keith, and Emily L. Webb
A new report by the College Board and Education Counsel offers practical guidance on race- and ethnicity-neutral strategies and selection criteria (“plays”) to advance institutional diversity.
The report provides an overview of the relevant legal landscape, paying special attention to key definitions (e.g., race conscious, race neutral, ends, means) and federal nondiscrimination laws. The authors also introduce a set of questions that institutions using a race-conscious policy or policies should be prepared to address.
This iteration of the Playbook expands on the earlier 2014 version and addresses the following nine plays:
- Race attentive and inclusive outreach and recruitment
- Flexible admission and aid criteria and test use
- Socioeconomic status
- Geography
- Experience or service commitment associated with race
- First-generation status and other special circumstances
- Percent plans
- Educational collaboration agreements
- Cohort programs
The report explains each play in detail and includes a description of the types of institutions using the play, conditions for likely success, potential roadblocks and questions to consider, and necessary efforts to ensure sustainability. This information is complemented by over 40 examples of institutional and organizational models using the plays listed in the report.
The report concludes with a brief summary of federal nondiscrimination rules applied to institutions pursuing race conscious practices and additional resources on key policy and legal issues related to diversity.
To access the full report and learn more about the nine plays, click here.
—Maria Claudia Soler
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