Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in its review of Fisher v University of Texas, Austin, a case challenging affirmative action at that university.  The problem that supporters of affirmative action face is that over the past few years a substantial body of scholarship has developed studying the effects of admissions preferences, specifically the phenomenon called “mismatch.”  Quite logically, if some groups are admitted with lower qualifications (as measured by grades and standardized tests), they will as a whole find themselves at a disadvantage in keeping up with students admitted with higher standards.  And as they struggle to keep up with the pace and perform well, they end up dropping out in larger numbers. Richard Sander of the Pope Center explains: It is helpful to think about mismatch as three interrelated phenomena that could affect a student of any race—let’s call her Sally—who receives a large admissions...(Read Full Post)