The One Florida Initiative, a reaction to Ward Connerly’s campaign to end government racial preferences in the state, was an executive order issued by former Governor Jeb Bush barring race-based preferences in government hiring, contracting, and admissions.
“Although generally sympathetic to Connerly’s campaign, Bush worried that Connerly’s constitutional proposal would sharply divide Floridians, create substantial problems for his leadership, and disrupt his efforts to woo black and Hispanic voters into the Republican Party – votes he hoped would secure his brother the presidency in 2000.” (Source)
In an effort to avoid minority backlash, Bush created the “Talented 20″ program as part of One Florida, which guarantees admissions to Florida students graduating in the top 20 percent of their high schools.
The NAACP balked, claiming the plan would reduce the numbers of blacks admitted to state schools. The numbers did decline in the beginning, but steadily increased over the years. However, one huge unintended consequence of the Talented 20 should have been obvious from the beginning: graduation rates for blacks and Hispanics are “dismal” compared to other students.
Minorities in Florida’s state schools are represented well enough, but they’re having trouble graduating. According to the mismatch theory, such a result is expected. To avoid admitting students based on race, state colleges and universities skim off students graduating at the top of their classes, regardless of whether those classes are academically challenging enough. Once admitted to the college or university, the student and the school are not well matched.
How can schools solve the problem? Extra instruction? Less rigorous classes for everyone? How about admitting and rejecting students based on grades and scores?
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