In “‘Diversity’ Dogma” today, the Wall Street Journal‘s Jason Riley properly takes the New York Times to task for emphasizing the decline of minority enrollment in the immediate aftermath of the passage of Prop. 209 in California, and only begrudgingly acknowledging that the numbers ultimately recovered, while ignoring the dramatic improvement in educational outcomes for minorities. “Since the passage of Prop 209,” Riley points out, “black and Hispanic graduation rates have increased. So have their grade point averages and their representation among students receiving degrees in the more difficult fields of math and science.”
The Times, of course, will probably continue to ignore this data, but to make it harder for them (and others) Riley conveniently lists some of the more dramatic evidence of the successes attributable to Prop. 209 documented in Richard Sander’s and Stuart Taylor’s invaluable book, Mismatch:
- “The number of blacks receiving bachelor degrees from UC schools rose from an average of 812 in 1998-2001 (the final cohorts entirely comprised of pre-209 entrants) to an average of 904 in 2004-2007 (the first cohorts entirely comprised of post-209 entrants). For UC Hispanics, the numbers rose from 3,317 to 4,428.”
- “The number of UC black and Hispanic freshmen who went on to graduate in four years rose 55 percent from 1995-1997 to 2001-2003.”
- “The number of black and Hispanic freshman who went on to graduate in four years with STEM degrees rose 51 percent from 1995-1997 to 2001-2003.”
- “The number of black and Hispanic freshman who went on to graduate in four years with GPAs of 3.5 or higher rose by 63 percent from 1995-1997 to 2001-2003.”
- “Doctorates and STEM graduate degrees earned by blacks and Hispanics combined rose by one-quarter from cohorts starting in 1995-1997 to cohorts starting in 1998-2000.”
“Yes, fewer minorities attended Berkeley and UCLA in the wake of Prop 209 [from 4% to 3%] and instead matriculated at UC Santa Cruz,” Riley concludes, “but more minorities overall not only graduated but obtained degrees in engineering and science. What’s more important?”
To the race preference dogmatists at the Times and elsewhere, how many minorities get in to selective institutions is more important than how many get out.
