The Equality of Opportunity Program Initiative on Selective Higher Education: Study Tour, Report, and Conferences

Brief / May 2008 / Available in French and in English

In 2007, the French-American Foundation’s Equality of Opportunity program developed a major initiative focusing on education.  This project stemmed from a concern that applies to the educational systems in both countries:  the under-representation of students from racial-ethnic minorities or recent immigrant backgrounds in higher education institutions, particularly the most selective schools, called grandes écoles in France.

The French-American Foundation conducted a study of American “color-blind” admissions procedures, called “percentage plans,” and such plans’ potential relevance for France. This project entailed a study tour to Texas and California, the publication of a report for policymakers and education stakeholders in France, and a series of conferences in Paris. This brief summarizes these initiatives.

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