Diversity, Opportunity, and the Shifting Meritocracy in Higher Education

Autor/inn/en	Alon, Sigal; Tienda, Marta
Titel	Diversity, Opportunity, and the Shifting Meritocracy in Higher Education
Quelle	In: American Sociological Review, 72 (2007) 4, S.487-511 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0003-1224
DOI	10.1177/000312240707200401
Schlagwörter	Higher Education; Diversity (Institutional); Affirmative Action; Weighted Scores; Achievement Rating; Admission Criteria; Enrollment; Computer Simulation; Statistics; Screening Tests; Class Rank; Access to Education; Educational Discrimination; Graduation Rate; Educational Opportunities; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Achievement; Rating; Leistung; Beurteilung; Leistungsbeurteilung; Admission; Admission procedures; Zulassungsbedingung; Zulassungsverfahren; Zulassung; Einschulung; Computergrafik; Computersimulation; Statistik; Screening-Verfahren; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance
Abstract	This article uses four data sets to assess changes in the relative weights of test- and performance-based merit criteria on college enrollment during the 1980s and 1990s and considers their significance for affirmative action. Our results support the "shifting meritocracy" hypothesis, revealed by selective postsecondary institutions' increased reliance on test scores to screen students. This shift has made it difficult for institutions to achieve diversity without giving minorities a "boost" through race-sensitive preferences. Statistical simulations that equalize, hold constant, or exclude test scores or class rank from the admission decision illustrate that reliance on performance-based criteria is highly compatible with achieving institutional diversity and does not lower graduation rates. Evidence from a natural experiment in Texas after the implementation of the "top 10 percent" law supports this conclusion. The apparent tension between merit and diversity exists only when merit is narrowly defined by test scores. (Contains 1 figure, 9 tables, and 26 footnotes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10