Race and Social Justice in Education Symposium

In June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on two distinct but interrelated cases regarding the application of race conscious admissions at the University of Michigan. Many experts, however, expect the Court to reconsider such practices within the next three years as several cases are currently making their way through the U.S. Court of Appeals. When a case eventually reaches the Supreme Court, the judges will expect much stronger proof concerning if and how diversity actually improves studentsí¢â‚¬â„¢ learning and experiences. Professor Chang will identify key criticisms of the diversity rationale, which has been a key argument for defending race conscious admissions practices. To address those criticisms, he will highlight a growing body of empirical research based on an important principle of higher education research. In doing this, he will focus on the following three questions:

í¢â‚¬ ¢ Does diversity add measurable value to studentsí¢â‚¬â„¢ learning and experiences? 

í¢â‚¬ ¢ Whatí¢â‚¬â„¢s the relationship between compositional diversity and educational benefits?

í¢â‚¬ ¢ To what extent does institutional quality contribute to realizing educational benefits?

Collegiate Diversity and Student Learning:

Using Research to Inform Affirmative Action Policies

Dr. Mitchell Chang

October 14, 10 AM

Schorling Auditorium, School of Education Building

 Dr. Chang is a Professor in the Higher Education & Organizational Change department at UCLA. His research focuses on the educational efficacy of diversity-related initiatives on college campuses and how to apply those best practices toward advancing student learning and democratizing institutions. He has written over fifty articles and book chapters, and has served on several editorial boards, including The Review of Higher Education, Liberal Education, Equity & Excellence, and Amerasia.

This event is sponsored by University of Michiganí¢â‚¬â„¢s School of Education, the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School, and Becoming Educators for Tomorrow