Claudia Allou Red The Board of Admissions, at every college or university should use affirmative action when selecting

incoming students. University is an opportunity to further educate students, in whatever field they choose to pursue. Yet, the money required to attend university has gradually increased to the point where the majority of students who attend, will leave with an incredible debt therefore money is an immense factor that prevents many students from considering higher education as an option. For some students, under their previous education, they have deemed the chance to go to university, unfeasible because their current grades are unsuitable. The economic status of students sets a precedent for what kind of school district they will be taught in and their expectations for themselves, school wise and career wise. Currently the Board of Admissions at most universities or colleges compares every applicant to the same set of criteria, one not every student has gone through the same education experience. The Supreme Court should to pass a law requiring the Board of Admissions at every college or university to use affirmative action in order to compensate for inferior high school education, to compensate for economic status, and to create more diversity within colleges. In the United States, education plays a major role in determining each persons equal participation in democracy. The future generations of US leaders are sent to school, where they learn everything from math to English. One of the many things they learn as soon as they begin schooling is the pledge. The pledge of allegiance is an expression of loyalty that is forever etched into the students minds (Robinson). As student recite the words justice for all they are often living with lifes injustices as their life experiences are not equal to their peers. The students of the United States are being raised so that one day they will lead the United States of America but not everyone has an equal opportunity. Children from middle and upper class families have access to technological resources, hands on experiences and exposure to the best higher education and attend the best schools. Working class students and those living in poverty struggle for basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing and dont have the access to the resources and experiences that support education. As students apply to colleges or universities, all the

Board of Admissions sees is the kid who got straight As and the kid who got straight Cs but what they dont see is all the supports or struggles that influenced the students education experience. The Supreme Court should to pass a law requiring the Board of Admissions at every college or university to use affirmative action in order to compensate for inferior high school education. The curriculum that students kindergarten through twelfth grade attend sets the precedent for whether they will attend or even apply for university or college. In the United States it is required that the children go to school. Often where a student lives plays a role in where he or she attends school but there are options. Students may attend public schools, charter school, private schools, or homeschooling. Any school can be considered inferior, not because of what kind of school but because of the circumstances and communities that it adheres to. Typically, schools test score performance correlates with the population of the school based on their economic status. In Marylands Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), parents and students are provided with the choice of how their child will learn. Parents who are enrolling their children into kindergarten are given the option to submit their child to a lottery to get into a language immersion school, apply to a magnet school, a primary year programme or remain with their neighborhood school, based purely on luck. In third grade students and their parents can apply and take a test for magnet programs, and again for students entering 6th grade. And then when entering 9th grade students can apply and test for magnet programs, international baccalaureate programs and many others. Only those who meet the criteria will be selected to participate in the program that they have applied for (Special Programs). These programs dont have that much diversity but they produce good grades. In high school, whether the students get straight As or not, most students aim for the best possible grades that they can obtain, though there are some who do not put in the effort which occasionally lead to dropping out of high school. Overall schools with advanced or topic based programs look better when it comes to test scores. High test scores and students grades are two components that create superior high school. Schools with programs that adhere to the students personal interest and encourage students to learn more about what he or she wants to learn, can also be considered as superior high schools. Inferior high schools

do not address the majority of students needs. A high school is inferior when it does not have sufficient resources to properly teach the students, or has a small teacher to student ratio that doesnt allow every student to get a sufficient amount of personal attention. Without enough help from the school itself, there is little a student can do on his or her own without any of the attention or resources he or she need to be the best student and get the best grades that they can. The Board of Admissions need to acknowledge high school education, and consider how much work each student has to put in to school to get the grades he or she receive. The Supreme Court should to pass a law requiring the Board of Admissions at every college or university to use affirmative action in order to compensate for economic status. The economic status of students sets a precedent for what kind of school district students will be taught in and their expectations for themselves, school wise and career wise. Studies show that minorities typically have a low socioeconomic status and as well as lower education, poverty and poor health. In 2004 the National Center for Education Statistics took a survey asking students if they expected to receive Bachelors or Graduate/professional degrees. For Bachelors students with a low SES and a high SES both had 38% that said they expected to achieve a Bachelors. But for Graduate/professional only 28% of students with low SES said they expected to achieve that degree of education whereas 55% of students with high SES expected to achieve a Graduate/professional (Percentage of 10th graders). Because of their economic status, a student set goals for themselves that seem realistic with his or her current state. In actuality, students are capable of pursuing any career or goal despite their socioeconomic stature and not limit themselves to what they see in their direct environment. Students who think college is not an option for themselves, economically, convince themselves higher education will not make them happy. If colleges begin to acknowledge students with low economic status and admit them in even though their grades arent as good but demonstrate effort, students will consider college as an option and work harder to get into college, and get better grades. The Supreme Court should to pass a law requiring the Board of Admissions at every college or university to use affirmative action in order to create more diversity within colleges. Diversity is

beneficial to the learning community, and there are studies that prove those claims, backed by rationality. In 1861, the United States of the North and the Confederate states of the South fought in the Civil War, mainly due to slavery. Beginning in the 1950s there was the Civil Rights movement (America Pathways to the Present). And more recently, there has been a struggle within the Hispanic community about deporting illegal immigrants though they have had children in the US. In the United States there have been many different struggles for equal treatment, a concept considered impossible because everyone is unique, different from each other. Yet, for as long as history has been recorded, there has been a struggle against oppressors for equality and it is time to give in to the concept of equality. In the end, the majority of minority races may not have the same qualifications as the predominance but the world is integrated and diverse. And college is a chance to have the real world experience, especially for the students who choose to go to out of states schools. Diversity in the college environment prepares students for the real world and is beneficial to the learning experience. Affirmative action is misunderstood to be a strategy solely based on race and serves only the purpose to make colleges look diverse, which gives minorities an advantage. The Supreme Court has seen two cases concerning affirmative action within the past ten years about whether it was fair to all applicants. One from the University of Michigan Law School and the other concerning a woman named Abigail Fisher, who claimed the University of Texas chose another student because they were of a minority race. The Supreme Court ruled in the case from University of Michigan Law School, Gratz v. Bollinger, saying that affirmative action is to be used but for the University of Texas case, there is uncertainty because of the new justices in the Supreme Court (Clarke). The college brought evidence saying that even if they hadnt known his race, the student, who is unnamed, would have gotten in over Ms. Fisher based on other qualifications. The affirmative action used at both of these schools was solely based on race and on whether having a diverse group of students reflected well on the school. Both times the Supreme Court has made arguments explaining that the affirmative action system used at either school was unconstitutional because they said it favored some races over others. Historically minorities have made up the economically challenged population. In the twenty first century however, a students

economic status influences his or her education more than race, and affirmative action should address a students economic status rather than simply race. If the Supreme Court does not pass a law saying that the Board of Admissions needs to use affirmative action when deciding the incoming classes, then every school will have a misrepresentation of the nations population. Without affirmative action, students who are born into circumstances that prevent them from doing their best at school will not be given all the opportunities they need to lead the nation into the future along with the rest of the nation. The citizens of the United States live the concept of life, liberty and the pursuit happiness yet without a law enforcing affirmative action; some students are cheated of their chance at happiness. To allow students from low economic backgrounds and students from high economic backgrounds, to have an equal chance to receive further education after high school, the Supreme Court needs to pass a law requiring the Board of Admissions at every college and university to use affirmative action when selecting incoming students.

Work Cited
America Pathways to the Present. Upper Sadle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.

Clarke, Yvette D. "State of Equality and Justice in America: Another Side of the Debate on Affirmative Action." Washington Post 25 Jan. 2013: n. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/>.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Inc., 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/private%20school>.

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "What Are Public Charter Schools?" National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. <http://www.publiccharters.org/About-Charter-Schools/>.

"Percentage of 10th-graders who expected to attain bachelor's or higher degrees, by socioeconomic status (SES), 1980, 1990, and 2002." Growing Up in America. Melissa J. Doak. 2005 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.

"Special Programs." Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS, 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/ specialprograms/>.

Annotated Bibliography
"Affirmative-Action Programs Are Necessary." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Cengage Learning, 2008. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/>.

This source is vital because it provides statistics and more information on the economic aspect of affirmative action. The writer explains how students K-12 perform worse due inequalities poor families and communities like them face.

"Affirmative Action Programs Promote Equal Opportunity." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Cengage Learning, 2010. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://ic.galegroup.com>.

America Pathways to the Present. Upper Sadle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.

This source, provides multiple different historical events that can be of use to my paper. It is also good for quoting, and more general concepts.

The source is useful and provides multiple different subtopics that explain when affirmative action has provided equal opportunities. The source shows how affirmative action is beneficial in different environments other than simply college admissions.

Bondeson, Jen. "Montgomery County Teachers Union May Fight State on Evaluations." Washington Post 26 Feb. 2013: n. pag. Print.

This shows how some student's scores are inferior to other students' based on reaction from teacher on new teacher evaluation system.

"Charter Schools." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.

The source has key points that talk about the benefits of charter schools and whether they are better than other school systems.

Clarke, Yvette D. "State of Equality and Justice in America: Another Side of the Debate on Affirmative Action." Washington Post 25 Jan. 2013: n. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/>. This provides evidence for one of my claims and gives one side that happens to be the side I am arguing.

"Ethnic and Racial Minorities & Socioeconomic Status." American Psychological Association. APA, 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. <http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/ resources/publications/factsheet-erm.aspx>.

This source answers the problem in my second argument exactly. It also gives me statistics of which I dont have that many yet.

"Introduction to Charter Schools: Opposing Viewpoints." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Cengage Learning, 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/>.

This source gives me another support for my thesis concerning the economic stature mentioned. It talks about charter schools versus public schools and the advantages for the students.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Inc., 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/private%20school>.

The website gives a basic definition of private schools so that I can provide a definition that the reader can build their knowledge off of.

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "What Are Public Charter Schools?" National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2013. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. <http://www.publiccharters.org/About-Charter-Schools/>.

This source provides background information. It tells the reader what charter schools are and how they work.

"Nation isn't color blind yet." Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia, PA] 11 Oct. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.

"Percentage of 10th-graders who expected to attain bachelor's or higher degrees, by socioeconomic status (SES), 1980, 1990, and 2002." Growing Up in America. Melissa J. Doak. 2005 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. This source helps me support my argument that students with low SES have low expectations not wants.

Robinson, B. A. "The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance." Religious Tolerance.org. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.<http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_pled1.htm>.

This source provides dates concerning edits toward the Pledge of Allegiance. It is helpful and provides other information concerning the history of the Pledge of Allegiance.

"Special Programs." Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS, 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/ specialprograms/>.

This source provides evidence for information that was included in my essay. It may be of more use if I need more specific information later on.

Critical Think Paper

Economic Based Affirmative Action

Claudia Allou Ms. Jeral 9th Grade CAP March 5, 2013