Beyond Percentage Plans: The Challenge of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. Staff Report

This staff report updates the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' previous assessment of percentage plans in California, Florida, and Texas and examines the pattern of racial/ethnic diversity among first-time students and graduate, law, and medical students. Staff of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights analyzed college application, admission, and enrollment data obtained directly from official state and university sources in the three states. The critical question guiding the analysis was whether percentage plans can achieve the goal of equal educational opportunity, and the analysis indicates that they cannot. The findings of this report mirror those of the earlier report: percentage plans alone do not improve diversity by recruiting underrepresented minority groups and will only have their desired effect if affirmative action and other supplemental recruitment, admissions, and academic support programs remain in place. The report also examines federal outreach programs, such as TRIP and financial aid, that further the goal of equal educational access. To ensure equal access, states and the federal government must commit to multifaceted and inclusive admissions processes, incorporating adequate financial aid and academic support services. (Contains 32 figures and 32 tables.) (SLD)