Where is Graduation Gap between Whites and Blacks Largest? Wisconsin

This week our employment law class will read and discuss Griggs v. Duke Power. It’s the single most important Supreme Court case in employment law. In 1965, Duke Power required employees to have a high school diploma; but due to segregation in schools, blacks had a 13% graduation rate compared to whites with 34%. Thus, a high school diploma was a significant barrier that operated disproportionately against blacks. The Supreme Court said that an employment criterion, neutral on its face but disparate in its impact by race, was unlawful unless the employer could show a business justification. (Most of Duke’s successful white employees had no high school diploma, so in 1965, that qualification standard did not relate to job success.) Fast forward: Whites in Wisconsin have a 93% graduation rate; blacks have a 66% rate. This great inequality has serious implications for long-term job- and income-inequality. Whatever the cause(s) of the disparity, it is a disaster for all of us. Details are here.