US: Guidelines given to promote campus diversity

The Obama administration has released new guidelines aimed at encouraging school districts and colleges to keep and pursue policies that promote racial diversity. In the process, they withdrew directives put forward during the administration of George W Bush, reports the Los Angeles Times.

"Diverse learning environments promote development of analytical skills, dismantle stereotypes, and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world," US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement on 2 December. "The guidance announced today will aid educational institutions in their efforts to provide true equality of opportunity."

The new guidelines are more detailed than the ones they replaced and seek to reverse what officials characterised as a chilling effect on diversity programmes based on cautious interpretations of Supreme Court rulings on integration efforts. The new rules even opened the door, in narrow circumstances, for race-based preferences, commonly known as affirmative action.
Full report on the LA Times site