When the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on Seattle's and Louisville's school integration cases came down, our offices received a flurry of calls inquiring how the rulings impact Asian Pacific Americans. Without a doubt, the court should have found these integration plans to be constitutional and legal efforts to diversify classrooms. In that regard, these decisions were dead wrong.
However, it should be noted that the court did not prohibit all consideration of race in school assignment plans. Justice Anthony Kennedy clearly states that "A compelling interest exists in avoiding racial isolation, an interest that a school district, in its discretion and expertise, may choose to pursue... . Race may be one component of [student] diversity, but other demographic factors ... should also be considered."
One of the court's primary criticisms of the Seattle and Louisville plans was their lumping of various races into two categories -- black versus non-black in Louisville, and white versus non-white in Seattle. Both plans determined whether schools were integrated using only two categories. School districts across the country should adjust their school assignment plans to consider the diversity interests of many ethnic and racial communities, including those of Asian Pacific Americans, albeit in the more limited manner prescribed by the court.
Some would argue that race-conscious school assignment plans harm Asian Pacific Americans, but this is false. Asian-American students, like all others, benefit from diverse learning environments. The court's decisions leave room for school districts to address the very concerns described in our amicus brief in these cases, where we show that Asian-American parents greatly value racially integrated schools. They know integrated schools will prepare their children to succeed in a diverse society. Further, immigrant Asian Pacific American students feel racial integration decreases harassment in the long run by fostering cross-racial dialogue and friendship. Finally, racial segregation impedes the social and educational development of students, including in particular those who are linguistically isolated.
