University of California Regents v. Bakke
What is the difference between quota and an affirmative action program? Should a school have a lower set of criteria for minorities?
A Quota is a pre-determined number that must be filled. In this context, it would mean that a certain number of workers would have to be a certain race or a certain sex. Quotas at large are outlawed and not allowed other than by court order to remedy misconduct and even then they are challenged.
Affirmative Action programs seek to set a good faith efforts taken by a federal fund recipient to ensure equal opportunity and eliminate barriers to equal treatment, which have historically affected certain groups.
From http://www.kumc.edu/eoo/aff.html , here are examples of good faith efforts:
Establish a written ...