Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data

Professor of education Park corrects common misconceptions in this concise, clear, and well-argued examination of research on race in education. The opening focuses on the mischaracterization of students of color as self-segregating; Park turns the question on its head, asking why responsibility for integration is placed on students of color when white students also self-segregate. Previously published research reveals that students of color who belong to race-affiliated clubs actually have more interracial interaction than those who don’t, and much more interracial interaction than white students involved in predominantly white fraternities and sororities. The latter, over time, become “less likely to support interracial marriage and [show] higher levels of symbolic racism,” a belief that black people are to blame for inequalities affecting them. Park also makes quick work of fallacious arguments that affirmative action helps only affluent black people and harms Asian-Americans. Park argues that increasing access to test prep services does not help those from racial groups that are already behind due to systemic inequity, chiefly because the tests are inherently biased, and that making SAT scores optional in college applications would be more helpful. This cohesive, superbly argued text will reward readers interested in critical race theory or equity in education. (Oct.)