xxiv Introduction to Volume 1
design and implementation of federal school improvement grants. In the
Chapter 13, Sabrina Zirkel asserts that although educators may think pol-
icy decisions are based on “what works,” they are oft en grounded in racial-
ized assumptions about merit, worth, and deservedness. Zirkel examines
three public forums to discern the role race and ethnicity play in deter-
mining who deserves what and why with respect to educational funding
and access to opportunity, resources, and care. Ramon M. Griffi n et al. in
Chapter 14 explore “cost” from a diff erent perspective. In the third chapter
of this section, they investigate what they call the racial opportunity cost
(ROC) of choice for children of color, and position ROC as a theoretical
lens to explore the relationship between students of color and their school
environment—and the costs incurred by students of color and their fami-
lies as a consequence of negotiating this terrain. Th e authors apply the ROC
framework to analyze pertinent educational issues of school choice and pa-
rental involvement. Th ey also provide implications for future research, pol-
icy, and practice.
Section V of Volume 1 is entitled “Beyond High School.” It includes three
chapters. In the fi rst chapter (Chapter 15), Julie A. Helling explores the con-
cept of “affi rmative action” in higher education as envisaged by the U.S. Su-
preme Court in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), Gratz v. Bollinger (2003), and
Fisher v. University of Texas (2013). She contends that the concept of af-
fi rmative action cannot be adjudged monolithically but must be measured
within specifi c context. Helling asserts that the vision of affi rmative put
forth by the Supreme Court actually benefi ts white students and does little
to remedy past and present racial discrimination. Chapter 16, written by
F. Erik Brooks, traces the evolution of historically black colleges and univer-
sities (HBCUs), paying special attention to their assets and liabilities. He re-
views the historical, present-day, and future signifi cance of HBCUs and calls
attention to the many challenges confronting these institutions, specifi cally
in regard to funding, recruitment, retention, branding, and academic suc-
cess. Brooks provides suggestions for ways to preserve the beauty and tackle
the burdens of HBCUs. In the fi nal chapter of this section (Chapter 17),
Ronald C. Williams and Adriel A. Hilton advocate for programs that men-
tor African American male college students attending primarily white in-
stitutions. Th ey provide qualitative and quantitative data that identifi es best
practices in the development and management of mentoring programs that
lend social support and may promote degree completion and academic
persistence among African American men.
