New York’s race-based STEM programs face constitutional challenges

For nearly 40 years, New York State’s Science and Technology Entry Program or STEP has offered middle and high school students extra preparation for college and careers in science, technology and health fields. About 11,000 students participate statewide each year.

But STEP’s admissions rules did something shocking: They imposed stricter income eligibility standards on white and Asian-American students than on other applicants, effectively using race to determine who qualified for help.

The result is perverse. An African-American student from an upper-middle-class family could qualify automatically, whereas a less-privileged white or Asian-American student would have to clear additional hurdles.

Last year, a federal lawsuit prompted an important shift. After Asian American families challenged the policy as discriminatory, New York officials issued guidance encouraging STEP schools to stop using race-based eligibility rules. Although these rules remain on the books, and not all schools have complied, the move signaled growing recognition that the program’s racial criteria are legally problematic.

Unfortunately, STEP is hardly unique. Across the country, education officials have adopted policies that sort students by race in the name of........

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