Seething over voter and court decisions in California and Texas that ban racial preferences in higher education, quota supporters are trying an end-run to foil the law. Their problem is that many black and Hispanic students are less prepared for college than their white or Asian counterparts -- with the consequence that fewer are admitted.

• The number of black students admitted to University of California at Los Angeles's law school in the 1997 freshmen class dropped to just 21 -- an 80 percent decline -- when admissions officials were forced to judge students on their achievements, rather than their skin color.

• At UC-Berkeley, only 14 blacks were admitted out of 792 students -- a decline of nearly 82 percent.

• At the University of Texas, which had been ordered by a federal judge to end race preferences, almost 400 fewer blacks and Hispanics will be admitted this year -- a 20 percent decline.

Race preference backers are fighting back, however, with a plan of their own.

• Some would guarantee admission to a set percentage of students from every high school -- no matter how dismal the school's performance and unequipped its graduates.

• In California, advocates would guarantee granting admissions to anywhere from the top 2 to the top 10 graduates of every high school.

• Computer models run by university officials show that Hispanic admissions would increase from 3.9 percent to 6.2 percent, and black admissions would rise from 5.1 percent to 5.5 percent.

• The share of Asian-American admissions, however, would decline by 6 percent under the plan, with whites losing 2 percent.

UC is also considering increasing its existing $100 million program to attract minorities by another $20 million a year. The funds would have to come either from higher state taxes or higher student fees.

Advocates of fair admissions policies -- those which rely only on abilities and demonstrated past performance -- contend that the problem lies in poor public schools. That is where change must occur either by improving the public schools or through a shift to vouchers for private schooling or charter schools.

Source: Editorial, "Keeping Quotas on Life Support," Investor's Business Daily, June 2, 1997.