The US Supreme Court is preparing to examine a dispute that could influence how selective public schools assess students and defend their admissions policies against discrimination claims. At the centre of the case is a Maryland school system’s decision to replace traditional admissions criteria with academic screening followed by a lottery. A group of parents says the system disadvantages Asian-American students seeking places at four academically competitive middle schools in Montgomery County, near Washington, DC.
However, school administrators claim that the program is a racially neutral one and was introduced for the purpose of enhancing accessibility to advanced education.
