Discrimination of excellence
{{Discrimination sidebar}}
Discrimination of excellence is the violation of formal equality of opportunity{{cite journal | url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1358229120927947 | doi=10.1177/1358229120927947 | title=The European Court of Justice and the march towards substantive equality in European Union anti-discrimination law | date=2020 | last1=De Vos | first1=Marc | journal=International Journal of Discrimination and the Law | volume=20 | pages=62–87 }} and meritocracy,{{cite journal |last1=Chang |first1=C.H. |title=How meritocracy is defined today?: Contemporary aspects of meritocracy |journal=Recent Issues in Sociological Research |date=2017 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=112–121 |doi=10.14254/2071-789X.2017/10-1/8 |doi-access=free }} which reward merits of individuals and overachievement.{{cite journal | vauthors = Puaschunder, Julia | title = Discrimination of Excellence: A Research Agenda| journal = Proceedings of the 14th International Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (RAIS) Conference at the Erdman Center of Princeton University | volume = 14 | issue = 1 | pages = 54–58 | date = August 2019 | doi = 10.2139/ssrn.3459603 | s2cid = 219357207| url = http://rais.education/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/009JP.pdf}} Discrimination of excellence can be caused by different reasons, including legacy preferences, nepotism, substantive equality, affirmative action or random luck.{{cite journal | last=Sauder | first=Michael | title=A Sociology of Luck | journal=Sociological Theory | volume=38 | issue=3 | date=2020 | issn=0735-2751 | doi=10.1177/0735275120941178 | pages=193–216}}
Gifted education
Gifted education has been criticized on substantive equality grounds.{{cite journal | last1=Yoon |first1=So Yoon | last2=Gentry | first2=Marcia | title=Racial and Ethnic Representation in Gifted Programs | journal=Gifted Child Quarterly | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=53 | issue=2 | year=2009 | issn=0016-9862 | doi=10.1177/0016986208330564 | pages=121–136|s2cid=143657431 }}
College admissions
Legacy preferences for college admissions have been criticized.{{cite journal | last=Hurwitz | first=Michael | title=The impact of legacy status on undergraduate admissions at elite colleges and universities | journal=Economics of Education Review | volume=30 | issue=3 | date=2011 | doi=10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.12.002 | pages=480–492}} Discrimination against excellent students during admissions to Ivy League has been debated during 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. The United States Department of Justice scrutinized higher education over potential systemic biases in college admission standards that would underweight transparent standardized testing criteria due to affirmative action.{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/us/yale-discrimination.html | title = Justice Dept. Accuses Yale of Discrimination in Application Process | last = Hartocollis | first = Anemona | date = August 13, 2020 | work = New York Times}} Harvard College has been sued in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College due to individuals outperforming on standardized college admission tests but not being admitted. Non-merit-based admissions practices, degree conferral or promotion standards have been criticized.{{cite book|author1=Bazerman, M. H. |author2=Tenbrunsel, A. E.|year=2011|title=Blind Spots: Why we fail to do what's right and what to do about it|location = Princeton, NJ|publisher=Princeton University Press}}
Severe discrimination of excellence
Academics, teacher and students were intentionally targeted during Cambodian genocide.
Khmer Rouge chose new teachers by ideology, affirmative action, and not by teaching excellence, which resulted in high illiteracy.{{cite journal | last=Clayton | first=Thomas | title=Building the New Cambodia: Educational Destruction and Construction under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-1979 | journal=History of Education Quarterly | volume=38 | issue=1 | date=1998 | pages=1–16 | doi=10.2307/369662 | jstor=369662 }}
See also
- Law of Jante
- Merit, excellence, and intelligence (MEI) – framework that emphasizes selecting candidates based solely on their merit, achievements, skills, abilities, intelligence and contributions
- Tall poppy syndrome