Debunking Affirmative Action...

Linda Chavez summarizes a new study that pulls the rug out from under Affirmative Action (AA) policies.

Conservatives have argued for years that AA does far more harm than good. It certainly is unfair to qualified Whites and Asians, who are excluded from programs to make room for targeted minorities. The fact that Asians are treated differently from other minorities (and that women are treated as a minority group) is an obvious clue that something is amiss with this practice.

But AA is even far more damaging to those it is supposed to help. When you place an unqualified applicant into a highly competitive environment, one of two things is likely: he will drop out, or he will fail. This study, of law students at the University of Michigan, confirms that this is precisely what happens.

The study is notable for several reasons. First, its credibility is bolstered by virtue of having been conducted by a liberal law professor, a life long Democrat and supporter of AA. Second, rather than simply looking at dropout and graduation rates, the study tracks student progress throughout the program. It shows that unqualified students fall behind from the onset and continue to fade over time. Finally, the professor concludes that far more minority students would graduate and pass the bar exam if we would simply eliminate AA altogether.

Sadly, this study, and others like it, will likely be ignored by those who champion AA. The Supreme Court has compounded the problem by basing recent rulings on the junk science being forwarded by AA advocates. For some reason, those on the Left are far less likely to be guided by commonsense or influenced by contrary evidence than those on the Right. We saw this with Bilingual Education, where many on the Left continue to promote it long after it has been discredited. Look for Affirmative Action to follow the same pattern.

[via Betsy]