‘The ZIP-Code Route Into UC’

Susan E. Brown’s column “The ZIP-Code Route Into UC” (Op-Ed Page, May 3) discusses a critical issue of educational inequity that deserves continuing public attention and corrective action. All students without regards to either their family income or ethnicity should have equal chances through their dedicated study and hard work to attend the University of California and California State University. However, Brown’s proposal of defining eligibility to UC and CSU as the top 12.5% and 33.5% of students at each high school is appealingly simple, but will not improve the educational achievement of moderate- and low-income students. In fact, it is likely to certify educational mediocrity and camouflage decreases in educational quality.

A more constructive approach would be to tackle with serious commitment the task of raising the educational achievement of students in schools serving moderate- and low-income communities. Although this is a considerably more complex and difficult approach, it has the potential advantage of leading to real--not illusory--increases in UC and CSU eligibility and enrollment rates for low-income and under-represented ethnic groups and growth in the number who ultimately graduate with bachelor and more advanced degrees. A first step in this approach could be simply to set targets for increases in the fraction of students in each school who are enrolled in a university preparatory program. Setting such targets would emphasize that the goal is to achieve a level of academic preparation that is needed for success in both college and the work force.

JOSEPH W. WATSON

Vice Chancellor

UC San Diego