October 30, 1998

Persistent Racial Gap in SAT Scores Fuels Affirmative-Action Debate

By DOUGLAS LEDERMAN

If the 200-point disparity were closing, preferences in admissions would enjoy more public support

Strip away the political posturing and the blistering rhetoric, and what's left at the core of the "affirmative-action problem" in college admissions is a simple fact: Black Americans, on average, score 200 points lower than whites on the SAT.

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