When Race Disappears: Merit in the College Admissions Policy Decision-Making Process in the State of Texas

• In Event: Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Postsecondary Research 1

Abstract

This paper analyzes a hearing on Texas Senate Bill 175 in order to understand implicit and explicit references to merit in the policy decision-making process that led to changes to the Top Ten Percent Plan (the Plan). Intended to be an alternative to affirmative action policy in the state of Texas, the Plan is a policy that guarantees college admissions to high school graduates who were in the top 10% of their classes. Findings of this analysis indicate that policymakers framed merit as class rank while educators described merit as holistic (rank, talents, skills). Race effectively disappeared from the discussion of changes to the policy and this could have implications for the diversity of Texas higher education institutions.

Authors

• Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, University of Wisconsin

• Venice Thandi Sule, Oakland University

• Dina C. Maramba, Binghamton University - SUNY