Julie J. Park, "Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era" (Harvard Education Press, 2026)

About this episode

Julie J. Park discusses the implications of recent Supreme Court rulings on race-conscious college admissions and explores alternative initiatives for promoting equity in higher education.

In Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era (Harvard Education Press, 2026), Julie J. Park offers deft analysis of the changes to college admissions and campus life since the US Supreme Court ruled to restrict race-conscious policies in two 2023 cases: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Park offers clear explanations of the rulings, their historical context, and their implications for higher education policy. She highlights how the Supreme Court still allows campuses to consider the role of race in students' experiences and that numerous tools to advance diversity in admissions remain. In this lively, timely work, Park points out the swift and stark post-ruling shifts in campus demographics and grapples with questions of how to push toward a more equitable admissions system. She investigates alternative initiatives, such as test-optional and test-free admissions, percent plans, and others, weighing their merits and drawbacks. She also examines inequality affecting college applications themselves and offers ideas for reform. Integrating up-to-the minute research on admissions…

People in this episode

Guest: Julie J. Park

Topics covered

• college admissions
• affirmative action
• diversity
• higher education policy
• equity
• standardized testing

Keywords

• race
• class
• affirmative action
• college admissions
• diversity
• equity
• test-optional
• enrollment management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Education Press

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