The Texas Top 10% Plan and Its Unintended Consequences in Texas Public High Schools

• In Event: 41.083 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 41.083-1 - Educational Equity, Access, and Teacher Misconduct in Texas Schools: Lessons on Law and Policy

Abstract

In this study, I assessed the benefits and risks of using a race neutral policy to address racial inequities within Texas’ public education system. Specifically, I evaluated the use of the Texas Top 10% plan (TTPP) as a race neutral alternative to affirmative action to address the postsecondary participation gap among African Americans and Hispanic students in Texas’ Flagships. A critical outgrowth and policy juncture of the TTPP was the UT admission cap, which led to unintended consequences within Texas public high schools. Findings indicate that UT’s Top 10% automatic admission cap affected a high school’s odds of being a Flagship feeder school and the type of high school diploma students earned. Key high school characteristics helped explain these odds.

Author

• Lolita A. Tabron, University of Denver