Then there was Henry Goddard, an IQ expert who served as a consultant on Ellis Island. He declared that after careful testing he had determined that 83 percent of Jews, 80 percent of Hungarians, 79 percent of Italians, and 87 percent of Russians were "feebleminded." Overall he ranked people of Latin, Slavic, or African descent as less intelligent than those of Nordic and other Northern European origin. His expert opinion was reflected in a 1924 law that set immigration quotas by country of origin.
IQ testing under siege
The late 20th century has seen a backlash against IQ testing. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court virtually banned the use of IQ tests as a hiring tool. Many states, including California, banned the use of IQ tests to screen African American children in the school system. Since the mid 1980s, many school districts have outlawed their use altogether. While this action was applauded by scores of parents and teachers, it wasn't a perfect solution for everyone.
Example: In 1991 a group of African American parents in San Francisco filed a lawsuit to force the school district to consider their children's IQ scores. The case began with a boy who was required to repeat a grade. After hiring a private company to test his IQ, his mother discovered that her child was quite smart but had a learning disability. She wanted the school to advance him to the next grade but also to provide him with help for his special problem. She wasn't able to make her case to the school district, however, because her evidence was rooted in an IQ test and therefore off-limits.
Eggheads of the world, unite!
Even with its problems, some people still take this whole IQ thing very seriously.
In fact, there is an international organization of people who have scored in the top 2 percent of a certain type of IQ test. The organization is called Mensa, and it's something between a social club and a badge of honor.