The role of race, socioeconomic status, and Affirmative Action in college
Advisor(s)
Patrick Kearney; Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
21-4-2021 9:10 AM
End Date
21-4-2021 9:25 AM
Abstract
My SIR project is concentrated on the effectiveness of Affirmative Action in College Enrollment and how it disproportionally disadvantages certain socioeconomic demographics in the U.S. It addresses the history of Affirmative Action and its role in the College Admissions process. This includes a chronological overview of major cases such as Brown vs. Board of Education to Fisher v. University of Texas-Austin that had lasting effects on many existing Affirmative Action policies and the way the public viewed the fairness and equity of such. I also analyze socioeconomic demographics of today and how minority populations and the education system play into that.
The question I aimed to answer through my research was whether there was a positive correlation between socioeconomic status among minority students and the percentage of students of that demographic enrolled at that institution. In my research, I analyzed the correlation between Median Household Income, Percentage of students enrolled in 2 and 4-year institutions based on race, and affirmative action policies as a function of time. This data helped me to form conclusions pointing to fluctuations in all variables considered in the college admissions process and the plateau of enrollment of impoverished minority students in public and private institutions.
The role of race, socioeconomic status, and Affirmative Action in college
My SIR project is concentrated on the effectiveness of Affirmative Action in College Enrollment and how it disproportionally disadvantages certain socioeconomic demographics in the U.S. It addresses the history of Affirmative Action and its role in the College Admissions process. This includes a chronological overview of major cases such as Brown vs. Board of Education to Fisher v. University of Texas-Austin that had lasting effects on many existing Affirmative Action policies and the way the public viewed the fairness and equity of such. I also analyze socioeconomic demographics of today and how minority populations and the education system play into that.
The question I aimed to answer through my research was whether there was a positive correlation between socioeconomic status among minority students and the percentage of students of that demographic enrolled at that institution. In my research, I analyzed the correlation between Median Household Income, Percentage of students enrolled in 2 and 4-year institutions based on race, and affirmative action policies as a function of time. This data helped me to form conclusions pointing to fluctuations in all variables considered in the college admissions process and the plateau of enrollment of impoverished minority students in public and private institutions.