AERA Executive Director Comments on Supreme Court’s Fisher Ruling
AERA Executive Director Comments on Supreme Court’s Fisher Ruling
 
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For Immediate Release                             Contact: Tony Pals, tpals@aera.net
June 25, 2013                                  office: (202) 238-3235     cell: (202) 288-9333


AERA Executive Director Comments on Supreme Court’s
Fisher Ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25 – Felice J. Levine, executive director of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to send the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin affirmative action case back to the Fifth Circuit Court.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling, by upholding Grutter and affirming the state’s compelling interest in fostering the benefits of diversity in higher education, aligns with the overwhelming body of scientific research.

“Empirical research strongly shows that student body diversity leads to important educational benefits, and that race-neutral policies are, by themselves, insufficient for advancing diversity. The science presented in research amicus briefs in Fisher spoke to the limitations of race-neutral approaches alone.

“In the interest of our nation’s students and American society at large, we must pay special attention to what empirical research tells us about benefits of diversity in higher education and the positive impact of affirmative action admission policies.” 

“As higher education institutions move forward, rigorous social science research will continue to be critical to informing policies and developing practices that best foster student diversity and its educational benefits on college campuses.”  

Links to Resources on AERA’s Fisher Online Information Portal

About AERA

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national professional organization devoted to the scientific study of education. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

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