AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

WHEREAS, we are challenged to prepare all students to achieve at much higher levels so that they are able to assume the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in our increasingly complex democratic society, as well as participate in and benefit from an increasingly demanding and global economy; and

WHEREAS, in 1980, fewer than one in five people living in the United States belonged to a racial or ethnic minority group, yet by the year 2000, one in three persons in the U.S. will belong to a minority group, and by 2005 most new workers will be non-white or of Hispanic origin; and

WHEREAS, despite substantial progress toward this nation's goal of equal opportunity, that goal remains unrealized, and discrimination continues to impose significant social and economic costs on our society and on individuals; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, the AFT resolved to redouble its efforts to promote the kind of affirmative action that makes a first-rate public education available to all, provides enriched education to those who need it, erases discriminatory barriers where they still exist, puts in place minority recruitment programs and opens up job opportunities and mobility at every level, and enables all parents to raise their children in a social atmosphere of hope and opportunity; and

WHEREAS, this kind of affirmative action has played, and continues to play, a critical role in overcoming discrimination and increasing opportunities for millions of people of color, as well as women, in education, employment, and civic life; and

WHEREAS, the affirmative action policies and programs the AFT has championed are even more effective, both for individuals and society, when there are clear standards of performance and demonstrated commitment to raise people's performance to meet those standards; and

WHEREAS, the failure to discharge the responsibility to pursue faithfully and fully fund this kind of affirmative action, which also was and is supported by the vast majority of Americans, has retarded this nation's progress in equalizing opportunities and continues to keep willing and able individuals out of the mainstream; and

WHEREAS, the failure to discharge the responsibility to make a quality public education available to all Americans is the greatest affirmative action failure of all, and shouldering that responsibility would offer the greatest affirmative opportunities to individuals and to society; and

WHEREAS, California ballot initiative Proposition 209, which barred discrimination and preferential treatment in public institutions to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin, has been upheld by the courts, and the policy is being considered in other states; and

WHEREAS, this has led to a sharp decline in the number of African American and Hispanic students admitted to California's selective public universities; and

WHEREAS, the AFT has always supported and continues to support, the rule of merit, but exclusive reliance on a certain SAT score or other single, one-time test does not constitute an adequate judgment of merit in education admissions decision, while the blind eye that opponents of all forms of affirmative action turn toward persistent practices such as admitting individuals whose only qualification is excelling in a sport or being the offspring of wealthy alumni belies a commitment to "meritocracy"; and

WHEREAS, the need continues for the kinds of affirmative action policies and programs the AFT and most Americans, across all groups, support; and

WHEREAS, affirmative action must be made consistent with our highest ideals of personal responsibility and merit, our urgent need to find common ground among diverse groups and individuals, and the imperative of preparing all Americans to compete in the global economy of the next century.

RESOLVED, that the AFT continue to condemn all policies and actions that signal a retreat from efforts to make this a just society, economically and socially, for all citizens; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT support the freedom of both public and private higher education institutions to make admission decisions based on the benefits to their students, their particular institution, and the larger society, using a genuine rule of merit that considers a broad spectrum of qualifications and talents, including strong academic achievement as measured by a variety of solid indicators; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT promote programs of affirmative opportunity such as investing in minority recruitment programs, easing the financial burden of higher education for qualified but poor students, investing in second-chance and college-preparatory programs, and guaranteeing access for all to high-quality public education from early childhood to higher education; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT identify and disseminate information to its state and local affiliates on affirmative opportunity programs that work, along with information on the consequences of continuing unequal opportunity.