The Walls Around Opportunity - (Our Compelling Interests) by Gary Orfield (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book argues that the current conversation about affirmative action and college admissions omits a key dimension: the conditions of racial inequality that students and their families experience from early childhood through high school, and which continue throughout postsecondary education. The moment of matriculation is part of a much longer process that begins in homes, schools, and communities, which prepares some students well and leaves others at a disadvantage. And when students attend college, they still might not have the resources to stay in school and graduate, particularly if their college cannot help with their financial needs. Drawing on extensive data, the authors argue that, historically, the only major breakthroughs on racial barriers to education and economic opportunity have come in periods of commitment to race-conscious policies. They argue that colorblind policies, by ignoring the racial realities of schools and society, have critically limited access to education for students of color. The authors propose a series of policies and practices that could make educational opportunity more equal. They argue that when it is impossible to implement race-conscious policies, educational institutions must implement 'race-sensitive' policies built with an understanding of the roots of racial inequality, so as to avoid building a future with profound intergenerational racial inequality"--

Book Synopsis

The case for race-conscious education policy

In our unequal society, families of color fully share the dream of college but their children often attend schools that do not prepare them, and the higher education system gives the best opportunities to the most privileged. Students of color hope for college but often face a dead end.

For many young people, racial inequality puts them at a disadvantage from early childhood. The Walls around Opportunity argues that colorblind policies have made college inaccessible to a large share of students of color, and reveals how policies that acknowledge racial inequalities and set racial equality goals can succeed where colorblindness has failed.

Gary Orfield paints a troubling portrait of American higher education, explaining how profound racial gaps imbedded in virtually every stage of our children's lives pose a major threat to communities of color and the nation. He describes how the 1960s and early 1970s was the only period in history to witness sustained efforts at racial equity in higher education, and how the Reagan era ushered in today's colorblind policies, which ignore the realities of color inequality. Orfield shows how this misguided policy has resegregated public schools, exacerbated inequalities in college preparation, denied needed financial aid to families, and led to huge price increases over decades that have seen little real gain in income for most Americans.

Drawing on a wealth of new data and featuring commentaries by Stella Flores and James Anderson, this timely and urgent book shows how colorblind policies serve only to raise the walls of segregation higher, and proposes real solutions that can make higher education available to all.

Review Quotes

"[The Walls Around Opportunity] provides compelling evidence that the educational policy implementation practices begun by former President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration . . . were effectively undercut by the color-blind methodologies introduced by President Ronald Reagan and perpetuated by subsequent presidents. . . . Orfield argues that the current bleak conditions can be overcome through bold action and offers a toolkit of strategies . . . to reform education in the US and restore meaningful opportunities."-- "Choice"

"A thorough, unflinching look at what it would take to eradicate racial barriers in American higher education. . . . [The book] finds clear directions within a complex issue and makes a robust case for centering race in higher education policy."-- "Library Journal"

"Anyone who seeks to understand policies and structures that have generated and continue to reinforce racial stratification in the US, and who believes that the past can inform the present and guide the future, will find the book to be a worthy read."---Pamela R. Bennett, Ethnic and Race Studies

About the Author

Gary Orfield is professor of education, law, political science, and urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he codirects the Civil Rights Project, one of the nation's leading centers for civil rights research. His many books include Educational Delusions? and Dismantling Desegregation.