Affirmative Action Standardized tests and Opportunity for all
Theresa Eier
Walla Walla Community College
Abstract Affirmative action policy is a deliberate effort to provide full and equal opportunities in education and the work force to individuals belonging to disadvantaged groups. In institutions of higher education, affirmative action refers to admission policies that provide equal access to education for minorities who have been historically excluded or under represented. Affirmative action has increased minority access to business and professional careers that were once denied. Affirmative action in the United States began with efforts to eliminate discrimination practices after the Civil Rights Movement. The use of race as a factor in the college admission process has been a topic of debate for years. Critics of affirmative
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On average SAT scores for whites exceed those of black and Latinos. Standardized testing for college admission began as a way for students to overcome social and economic disadvantages they may have experienced when applying to elite schools. Ironically lower socioeconomic status of the individuals and the primary schools from which they attend consistently average lower test scores in all areas of academia. Minorities are overwhelmingly concentrated in the lowest achieving schools and are more apt to experience poverty. Affirmative action not only gives equal opportunities in education to minorities but also the opportunity to overcome socioeconomic barriers that would be impossible to overcome if affirmative action were to be banned. Affirmative action gives qualified minorities a chance to succeed and pursue careers in education that would otherwise be denied because of a test score. Abort affirmative action and the underrepresented minority enrollment would decline
Affirmative Action has become one of the most controversial issues regarding college admissions. It is an issue that exposes profiling to its highest extent. Race, gender and income now become vital factors in education opportunities. Affirmative Action is the procedure that is used as a criteria in admissions that will increase the points a college applicant receives on their application evaluation based on the previous factors. Whether race should be considered in the admission of a college applicant, is without a doubt a must in all states. Affirmative Action definitely will improve the opportunities of a minority student applying at a university but it will not be the deciding factor. When
Affirmative Action is one of the many social issues facing America today. Affirmative action was signed into place in 1961 by President Kennedy and allows minority groups or people who face discrimination to become employed or get an education that is equal to that of a white male. Groups that Affirmative Action aims to help are women, blacks, Latinos, and people with disabilities. While these policies were signed to slowly rid the workforce and schools from discrimination, it hurts people who do not face discrimination, specifically whites. Many white men and women lose special opportunities to work or go to college because of certain standards that the Affirmative Action laws require. Universities and the military require a certain number of minorities in order to meet the standards and have a more diverse atmosphere. An example of this is the California V. Bakke supreme court case of 1978.
Affirmative Action remains one of the more complicated and controversial topics dealt with in American society. Affirmative Action is an action or policy designed to protect specific groups who suffer from discrimination, and provide them with programs and special opportunities. These government or private programs were designed to set right historical injustices towards the members of these groups who have suffered things like employment and educational disadvantages from racial discrimination. The goal for these actions are to redress past wrong doings by fixing things like inequalities in employment and pay, as well as increasing opportunities for education. By achieving this, the outcome would restore equal access and opportunity in favor of the members of these groups. These groups generally consist of certain minorities that have suffered from social ills such as slavery and segregation.
Affirmative action refers to any action or policy that is aimed at securing an equal workplace, that extend beyond simple legal access, but that does not alter the standards or qualifications for employment. In other words, they are policies or action set down mostly in a workplace to eliminate discrimination in
Affirmative Action Affirmative Action efforts were started in 1964 to end the long history of overlooking qualified people of color and women from higher education. Affirmative Action sets standards for a business or office of admissions, so that a white man does not have the upper-hand over an equally or greater educated minority. The initial way the government tried to justify Affirmative Action was to develop a human resource approach: first identifying the problem, which is racism then establishing the solution (Phillips 67). The intent of Affirmative Action helps cut down discrimination in the work place and in schools, despite the fact that some believe that affirmative action is a
Affirmative action has been one of the most effective tools to correct a history of inequalities in our nation’s history against people of color and women. The huge advances made during Civil Rights era still has not completely eradicated centuries of sexism and racism. Opportunities for advancement for those previously omitted remain few and far between in comparison to their counterparts. Race and gender are not, nor should they be, the only selection measure but they do warrant to be one of the many influences considered in college admissions, hiring, and awarding of grants and other forms of financial aid. Many prestigious and well regarded school universities such as Harvard and Stanford have been at the forefront of this ideal. Nonetheless, affirmative action remains a heavily contested social issue in the United States.
Affirmative action in the U.S is a set of laws or guidelines that are set in place to level the playing field and give everyone an equal opportunity to pursue employment or an education. This law was deemed necessary when it was made legal; however now there are those who disagree with the policies of affirmative action. “Hate groups frequently refer to affirmative action as racial preferences, racial quotas, or anti- White prejudice and describe the policy as creating unfair advantages to minorities and/or creating disadvantages to Whites” (Valeri, Robin, and Kevin Borgeson
Affirmative action is a law that was passed in the early 1960’s and which has been exercised throughout the world for decades upon decades. This law has been recognized to “attempt to get rid of discrimination against minorities, and women in America” Affirmative action also known as A.A. began as a plan to equalize the educational, employment, and contracting opportunities for minorities, and women with opportunities given to their white, male counterparts.” (U.S. history.com) A.A. is also considered the set of public policies and initiatives designed to help eliminate past
The affirmative action policy is a policy put in place so that companies and universities create a more culturally diverse society in groups of people. It mainly focuses on factors that include education and business specifically dealing with people receiving admission. Its goal is to create an equal playing field amongst students and employees for women and minorities. For example, a university might accept an African American with a lower SAT score then a white male simply due to his ethnicity. In this essay, I will state my own opinion on this policy and present evidence to whether or not I think it is right.
Affirmative action is a government policy that gives opportunities to minorities, women, and any group who has been the victim of discrimination in the past. Affirmative action is the outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, growing out of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It was the 1978 Supreme Court decision, The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which allowed for the use of race-based preferences as a means of fostering diversity, allowing affirmative action to be used in admissions policies. It was created with the intention to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups in education and employment. Initially, affirmative action focused
The arguments of Allan Bloom, are contending, based on many years of teaching at Cornell and the University of Chicago, that “affirmative action now institutionalizes the worst aspects of racial separatism.” This programs goal is to help develop more diverse campuses, but also helps underprivileged and underrepresented minorities achieve extra help into admission at schools where before they would have not been considered. Affirmative action helps Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans; majority of these students with equally if not higher qualifications are being hurt. Caucasians and other non-minority students are being denied because colleges are pushing for more diverse campuses. Affirmative action leads to the denial of a
According to Raymond A. Noe, affirmative action is an organization’s active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group (Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 68). There are various arguments for and against affirmative action. Some believe that it gives certain groups of people an equal opportunity to find employment where they would otherwise be kicked under the rug. Others believe that even though it creates an opportunity for minority groups, the issue of reverse discrimination comes into play where once predominantly white male jobs offerings go to women and minority groups instead. The topic of affirmative action remains very controversial and
Affirmative action is a policy that favors certain groups of people that suffer from discrimination, especially in applying for college. The most prevalent cases appear mostly in the elite colleges that have far more applicants than spots available for students. Due to the discriminating aspects of these programs, they should not be considered in the application process because they violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by separating certain groups of people in our society. Although the goals of these policies may be with positive intentions, the programs limit the rights of those not included under the system
Affirmative action is a way to make sure that colleges stay diverse to help create communities that are exposed to different colleges. It helps people who have a disadvantage create opportunities for themselves. It gives everyone an equal chance in all areas of their community. This is a way to make up for the oppression. This is to many help thee minorities that are admitted into universities or employed. The main focus was to make sure that everyone had an equal opportunities and help the level of discrimination go down. It has represented the minorities that aren’t being represented in any way shape or form. It’s way to help us reverse discrimination. According to the U.S. Department of Labor “Blacks and Latinos are more likely to
You go to school for seven hours a day, five days a week, for twelve straight years. You spend afternoons, mornings, and maybe even nights studying for upcoming exams. You stress to score as high as possible on all standardized tests. You get out of school, go straight to soccer practice, then come home, and study for tomorrow’s math test. Even though your schedule is already crazy, you find some time to volunteer at a charity. You try your hardest to be as perfect as you can be, and when you apply to the school of your dreams, you get accepted. No, you do not get accepted because of your race or ethnicity. You get accepted because of all the hard work you put into your education, and all the merits you have. You feel accomplished, excited, and proud. Together we can change affirmative action for the better, and hopefully one day there will be colleges where everyone is given equal opportunity, regardless of their