Giving Compass' Take:

• Hallie Busta explores the implications of the end of affirmative action in college admissions and what schools may choose to do next. 

• What is the best alternative to affirmative action? Should schools stop using affirmative action, even if they are allowed to continue using it? 

• Learn why schools may want to turn to income, rather than racial, integration. 

Supporters of affirmative action say the approach is ultimately more straightforward and effective at achieving racial diversity on campus than alternatives, which have been tested for as long as two decades in states like California, the first to ban it. And, they say, it costs a lot less.

But the option may soon be off the table entirely if one of a handful of high-profile cases reaches the Supreme Court.

Several alternatives to affirmative action are in place at colleges in states that ban race-conscious admissions or at institutions that have opted out. One of the most-cited is Texas' Top Ten Percent Plan (TTPP), through which students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class can gain admission to any public college in Texas. The policy was created in 1997 in response to a challenge of the state's affirmative action policies, aiming to keep the student body at public colleges diverse without considering race directly.

It has informed race-neutral admissions policies in California and Florida, too.

Studies of race-neutral alternatives show varying results.

Research has found another widely discussed approach — looking at income — insufficient to achieving racial diversity. Adding factors such as neighborhood and wealth can help, said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation who in his personal capacity as a scholar is serving as an expert witness in the Harvard case.

Read the full article about the end of affirmative action by Hallie Busta at Education Dive.