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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