Institutional racism remains a powerful force in American society, a reflection of the fact that the white majority which enjoys the benefits of racism is unable to see the destruction that racism works on others. Institutional racism is characterized by a set of organizational procedures, formal or informal, woven into the operational structure of an institution. This racism is deeply ingrained in all aspects of American life, and is particularly manifest in our educational institutions, so that minorities are not provided with the training needed to compete effectively in the job market. Attempts at public school desegregation in New York City and Berkeley demonstrate that minority students are placed at a disadvantage in terms of school size and distance of transportation to integrated schools. IQ tests are another example of a discriminatory procedure that is masked as a scientific enterprise. Higher education reveals these same propensities and conveniently excuses itself from its responsibility toward understanding the needs and outlook of minority students. It is necessary that all educational institutions cease focusing on the student as a source of failure and focus instead on themselves and their role in institutional racism. (WP)