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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2003

News Release

Statement of NEA President Reg Weaver in Support of Promoting Diversity in Schools

The National Education Association (NEA) stands united with some of our nation’s leading higher education institutions, civil rights groups, and corporations in support of the University of Michigan’s defense of its affirmative action program now before the Supreme Court. 

The NEA’s commitment to affirmative action and diversity is steeped in the reality that we are not a colorblind society and that race still matters.  A division in educational opportunities based on race persists today: African American and Hispanic students are less likely to have access to a library at their high school and more likely to be taught by underqualified teachers. 

As educators, we know that learning in a racially diverse setting provides valuable educational, social and economic benefits for both students and school staff.  Studies show that student performance is strengthened by an integrated classroom, and that student diversity leads to enhanced learning, higher educational and occupational aspirations, and positive social interaction among individuals of different backgrounds.  Students who study in racially and ethnically diverse classrooms are better prepared to succeed in America’s increasingly diverse society and the global marketplace.

It is the enriching quality of a diverse student body that forms the foundation of the University of Michigan’s legal battle to preserve the diversity of its own campus.  It is essential that educators be allowed to have policies and procedures that promote diversity and equal access to opportunity.  And it is imperative that we sustain affirmative action to ensure access to the greatest equalizer – education.  The Constitution permits it, and justice demands it. 

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.