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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Richard Kahlenberg is an expert on creating new paths to diversity in higher education and is available for speaking and consulting on these matters.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
ABOUT KAHLENBERG'S WORK IN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Advance Praise for Kahlenberg's 2025 book, Class Matters

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Class Matters shows where we have gone wrong so far, and how we will get to justice, equality, and even diversity for real.”

—John McWhorter, professor of linguistics, Columbia University,

and weekly New York Times writer

 

“In his indispensable new book, Kahlenberg lucidly surveys the history of the race-based approach and explains how class-based affirmative action can and must take its place. Liberals and conservatives alike should read this book as a guide to what might come next.”

Ruy Teixeira, coauthor of The Emerging Democratic Majority

and senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute

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"Convincing … A provocative call to reconsider how diversity in higher education can be achieved.”

Publisher's Weekly Read it

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See further praise from Michael Lind, John C. Brittain, John DiIulio, Randall Kennedy, Linda Chavez, and Anthony Marx

Princeton President William G. Bowen and Macalester College president Michael S. McPherson wrote that Kahlenberg deserves more credit than anyone else for arguing vigorously and relentlessly for stronger efforts to address disparities by socioeconomic status.”

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Read it

PUBLICATIONS
FOCUSED ON DIVERSITY IN HIGHER ED

Kahlenberg is the author or editor of these books on affirmative action

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NEW! 2025

The Future of Affirmative Action book cover

2014

Affirmative action for the rich book cover

2010

Rewarding strivers: Helping low-income students succeed in college book cover

2010

Americas untapped resource: low-income students in higher education book cover

2004

The Remedy book cover

1996

He has written dozens of articles on affirmative action, including:

He has provided in-depth, practical advice to colleges seeking to diversify in new ways

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PUBLIC SPEAKING
ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Kahlenberg has spoken in numerous venues about diversity in higher education

"Wicked Problem: Affirmative Action--Who Wins?"

Aspen Ideas Festival

June 27, 2023

"Writer Predicts Diverse Colleges After End of Affirmative Action" 

PBS NewsHour

June 29, 2023

"Affirmative Action in College Admissions Eliminated by Supreme Court"

CNN News Central

June 29, 2023

"What's Different About the Latest Challenge to Affirmative Action?"

PBS News Hour

December 10, 2015

"Race or Class? An Affirmative Action Debate" 

Middlebury College

November 22, 2019

"Should Affirmative Action be Based on Race or Class?"

Pitzer College

March 8, 2011

HIGHER EDUCATION CONSULTING

Kahlenberg consults as an expert on diversity in higher education. Previous engagements have included:

Provided advice to The College Board on creating “Landscape,” a tool that colleges can use to create socioeconomic and racial diversity by considering the socioeconomic obstacles that students have overcome.

Served as an expert witness in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. In those cases, he testified in Federal District Court in favor of the importance of racial diversity and said that the universities could employ a variety of strategies – including affirmative action for socioeconomically disadvantaged students – to achieve it. He worked with Duke economist Peter Arcidiacono to model what socioeconomic factors can produce racial and economic diversity in admissions.

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