(NAME-MCE) Mismatched Minorities?

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Mismatched Minorities?


U.S. civil rights panel explores whether affirmative action leaves many
black and Latino students more likely to fail in math and science.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/15/mismatch

September 15, 2008
Mismatched Minorities?

UCLA

Richard Sander, a law professor at UCLA, argues that racial preferences hurt
students.

Addressing the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Friday, a panel of
researchers discussed whether minority students are doomed to failure if
admitted into highly selective science programs on the basis of racial
preferences.

The commission's briefing centered on the "mismatch" theory, which suggests
minority students are less successful in science majors when they are placed
in colleges with academic standards that far exceed the students'
preparation.

"Race preferences in admissions … are harming the aspirations of blacks,"
said Rogers Elliott, professor emeritus of psychological and brain sciences
at Dartmouth College.

The controversial mismatch theory purports to explain, in part, why black
and Hispanic students are less likely than whites to complete degrees in the
so-called STEM disciplines of science.

Richard Sander, a law professor at the University of California at Los
Angeles, drew upon data from the University of Michigan's graduation rates
to illustrate the mismatch theory. He noted that for black students who
entered Michigan in 1999, 73 percent who were given "no preference"
graduated in four years compared with 70 percent of white students with the
same credentials. But for black students who were given "large preference,"
just 21 percent graduated in four years, compared with 35 percent of whites
who were also given a large preference.

In order to determine the level of preference given to applicants, Sander
used an index that included standardized test scores and grade point
averages. A 50-point difference on the verbal SAT, for instance, would be
considered a moderate preference under Sander's analysis. A 90-point
difference would be considered a large preference. (Michigan officials could
not be reached for comment, but in previous debates over affirmative action
they have rejected the idea that applicants can be grouped by SAT scores
alone to judge their relative ability.)

Sander introduced his mismatch analysis of black law school students in
2004. Since that time, his argument that some minority students might be
better served at less prestigious institutions has been met with criticism
<http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/03/affirm>by affirmative action
advocates, who say that race-blind admissions in law schools, for instance,
would ultimately undercut minority participation altogether.

*California Data Shows Mismatch, Sander Says*

The University of California System also served as a model for Sander's
research. Citing unpublished data from the system, Sander noted that black
and Latino students have far greater success rates in science when they
enroll in the California's less selective campuses. Minority students were
about half as likely to earn bachelor's degrees in science at Berkeley or
UCLA, for instance, as they were to earn science degrees from five of the of
the other six campuses in the system, according to Sander's study of those
entering between 1998 and 2000.

"All those [data] show very compelling evidence that there really is some
mismatching going on," he said.

Michael Yaki, a member of the commission, was the lone commissioner to
publicly criticize Sander's analysis at Friday's briefing.

"Part of what we're talking about is the potentiality of human beings, and
that's not something you can really measure," said Yaki, a rare Democrat on
the Republican-dominated commission.

Richard Tapia, a panelist at the briefing and a math professor at Rice
University, expressed concern about steering minorities to less rigorous
academic programs – just for the sake of increasing degree production in the
sciences. The net result, he argued, will be fewer minorities on faculty at
prestigious institutions, which are disinclined to hire professors lacking
in academic pedigree.

"Our current path will lead to a permanent underclass," he said.

Tapia, a Los Angeles native whose parents emigrated from Mexico, renounced
the "sink or swim" mentality that some embrace in higher education.
Retention and mentoring programs can work for minorities, he argued, if they
are given funding and support.

"Treating everyone the same is not good enough," Tapia said.

*K-12 Draws Scrutiny*

As would be expected, the briefing inevitably led into discussion of
improving college preparation. Thomas Fortmann, a member of the
Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, argued that it's
far too late to discuss achievement gaps by the time students are applying
to college. As such, steering minority students toward less selective
programs where they are more likely to get science degrees "may result in
more STEM majors, but I think it masks the underlying problem," he said.

The commission also explored industry expectations for science graduates,
seeking input from an IBM executive. Robin Willner, vice president of Global
Community Initiatives for IBM, touted the need for creative thinkers and
leaders in high tech fields. She added that it's essential that tomorrow's
industry leaders reflect the diversity of the global market in which IBM
operates.

In a blunt assessment, Willner said IBM would be headed for big trouble if
colleges fail to produce a diverse pool of talent with knowledge of the
needs and desires of a growing global consumer base.

"IBM would go into the toilet immediately," she said, "because we won't be
able to make products for our customers."

— Jack Stripling <jstripling at insidehighered.com>