The tyranny of the meritocracy : democratizing higher education in America

"Standing on the foundations of America's promise of equal opportunity, our universities purport to 'serve as engines of social mobility' and 'practitioners of democracy.' But as acclaimed scholar and pioneering civil rights advocate Lani Guinier argues, the merit systems that dictate the admissions practices of these institutions are functioning to select and privilege elite individuals rather than create learning communities geared to advance democratic societies...Guinier argues for reformation, not only of the very premises of admissions practices but of the shape of higher education itself, and she offers many examples of new collaborative initiatives that prepare students for engaged citizenship in our increasingly multicultural society" (Provided by publisher.)