Jeb Bush Seeks Race-Based-Admissions Ban

By Julie Blair

Florida was poised last week to join two other high-profile states in replacing race-based criteria in college admissions with a system that promises students entry to public universities based on their class rank.

Following the lead of California and Texas, officials in the Sunshine State unveiled a plan earlier this month called the "Talented 20." Under the initiative, Florida seniors in the top 20 percent of their graduating classes would be guaranteed a slot in one of the state's 10 public universities provided they met the full admissions criteria. Race and ethnic background would be eliminated as factors in admissions.

"Preferences in higher education are being used to mask the failure of low-performing schools in our K-12 system," Gov. Jeb Bush said in a prepared statement announcing the plan. Such racial and ethnic criteria, the Republican governor said, "make it easier to overlook the disparity in opportunities, play down the pleas of help for ... low-performing schools, and set these...