14 | School Admissions and Diversity

How can a school district seek to achieve a diverse student body at its elite magnet school? We discuss the case of Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, another case in the evolving legal battle over race-conscious admissions and the pursuit of diversity in school admissions. At issue in this case was whether the Board's race-neutral admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause by having a disparate impact on Asian American students and being motivated by an invidious intent to discriminate based on race. We briefly covered this case when the Supreme Court denied review, but it was too interesting and too important not to get its own episode. We also talk about escalating and evolving legal conflicts over the curriculum. Keywords: Diversity, Equal Protection Clause, Fourteenth Amendment, Race, Discrimination, School Admissions