A federal court judge in a scathing decision ordered the New
York Fire Department (FDNY) to change their hiring practices to
integrate the work force. Forty years ago the Court established
a “disparate impact test” in the Griggs v Duke Power Co.
decision, “What is required by Congress is the removal of
artificial, arbitrary, and unnecessary barriers to employment
when the barriers operate invidiously to discriminate on the
basis of racial or other impermissible classification.” Since
race has no impact on the effectiveness of a firefighter
management must institute hiring practices that do not
discriminate against protected groups. What if race does impact?
Race is a highly sensitive issue, the subtext of every
conversation is race, gender and class. We shy away from
discussing race, we fear stepping on toes, being called a
“racist,” (or a sexist, or promoting class warfare). What does
research say about the impact of the race of the teacher on
student The Department is data obsessed, we collect seemingly
inf