Abstract

CELIS-GIRALDO, Jorge Enrique. Affirmative Action in Higher Education: The Case of the United States. educ.educ. [online]. 2009, vol.12, n.2, pp.103-117. ISSN 0123-1294.

The importance and development of policies for affirmative action in higher education in the United States are analyzed in this article. The U.S. experience is selected because it has influenced a number of countries that seek to provide historically excluded citizens with equal opportunities for access to higher education, in the interest of their social mobility. The article begins with a look back at the milestones that affected the concept of affirmative action, first in the context of jobs and later in higher education. The controversies and legal decisions adopted in some states with affirmative action in education are considered, along with the results of studies on the academic and professional development of those who have benefitted from affirmative action.

Keywords : Higher education; cultural action; development policy; education policy; United States.