RESEARCH DIGEST
This recap of the year's research includes reports, legal documents, e-tools and other resources produced by CRP and partners.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION
CRP filed friend-of-the-court briefs in two Supreme Court cases, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin and Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action et al. For the Fisher case, CRP also distributed 1) “The Research Basis for Affirmative Action,” a statement by social scientists summarizing the rigorous body of research supporting affirmative action that universities can deploy when assessing their diversity plans, and 2) an independent Statement by Constitutional Law Scholars explaining the Court’s decision recognizing that universities have a compelling interest in promoting racial diversity in higher education, but requiring them to consider race-neutral options before employing race-based policies.
CRP partnered with the Educational Testing Service and hosted a research roundtable, College Admission Policies and Role of Race-Neutral Methods for Producing Campus Diversity, for an audience of university administrators, educators and legal experts in Washington, DC on September 9, 2013. New research that can potentially shed light on admissible diversity policies was presented (and will be available to the public later on this year). “Colleges can successfully defend their plans if they are aware of research on the limited value of alternatives and can document why they would not work locally. This research is a step in that process,” said Gary Orfield, distinguished professor and CRP co-director.
LANGUAGE MINORITY STUDENTS
"Preparing Secondary English Learners for Graduation and College" recounts the triumphs and disappointments of a 4-year demonstration and research project that offered Spanish-dominant high school immigrant students, at four Southern California high schools, a potentially viable chance at graduating high school and preparing for college. From 2008-2012, the SOL (Secondary Online Learning) Project selected partner schools, provided access to a Spanish-language, online college preparatory curriculum in math and science, trained and supported teachers in the use of this curriculum and offered support services to the students and to their parents. The project’s aim was to increase graduation rates and matriculation into college and essentially provide an antidote to the heartbreaking dropout statistics for Spanish-speaking immigrant students. This final report includes a vision of what a truly equitable education for immigrant students might look like.
Incorporating lessons learned from SOL 1.0, the second phase of this project is underway, thanks to support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. SOL 2.0 involves the development of a curriculum prototype: bilingual Spanish-English, secondary math curriculum, aligned to Common Core standards, and accessible via open access online technology. The aim is for Spanish-dominant immigrant students (as well as others who wish to continue their high school education in dual language programs, including IB) to be able to access rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum in their strongest language, regardless of geographic location. SOL 2.0 is a collaborative between the Civil Rights Project and the University of Guadalajara.
RACIAL INEQUITIES IN K-12 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE
CRP’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies (CCRR) continues its momentum in highlighting disparities in discipline policy with a report, “Out of School and Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools” and 16 new research reports collectively entitled, “Closing the School Discipline Gap: Research to Practice.” Both the report and research collection shed light on the growing use of punitive disciplinary measures and illuminate research-based alternatives to out-of-school suspensions. The research was presented at a Congressional briefing and national conference in D.C. in winter 2013 and most will be incorporated into a forthcoming book, to be published by Teachers College Press next year.
CCRR collaborated with the Council of State Governments Justice Center and jointly published a survey of school discipline data with live links to the most recent data from each state. Click here for an interactive map, a 50-state table, and other related information
In September 2013, CCRR launched a novel web tool for those working to plug the school-to-prison pipeline. This e-tool allows users to access data on suspensions and disparities between school districts in their state.
SCHOOL SEGREGATION TRENDS IN THE EASTERN STATES
The CRP is hard at work on a series of 11 reports on East Coast school segregation trends from 1989-2010. Studies of Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey schools are already complete and available. Upcoming research looks at diversity and segregation patterns in New York, Rhode Island, Maine-New Hampshire-Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and the District of Columbia.
