After the Supreme Court banned race-based affirmative action last year, many people in higher education worried that it would be only the first in a series of decisions that reduced diversity at selective schools. In particular, university administrators and professors thought the court might soon ban admissions policies that gave applicants credit for overcoming poverty. And the future of admissions at selective colleges and high schools has suddenly become clearer. The Texas modelThe situation has become clearer because the Supreme Court last week declined to hear a lawsuit against a public magnet school in Northern Virginia — Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, known as T.J.Until recently, T.J. admitted students based on a mix of grades, test scores, student essays and teacher recommendations. This process led to a student body that looked very different from the area it served.

---

Persons: Northern Virginia — Thomas Organizations: Northern Virginia — Thomas Jefferson High School for Science, Technology Locations: Texas, Northern Virginia