The U.S. political process has been used to define an "adequate" education, in terms of resources, procedures, content, or outcomes. The marketplace also allows individuals to define adequacy through various voucher arrangements. Both mechanisms should be used, based on whether public or private interests are paramount in a particular…

Financial estimates for achieving the six national education goals proposed at the Charlottesville Education Summit are provided in this paper. Specific objectives under each goal, as outlined by the National Goals Panel, are assessed. A conclusion is that although the cost estimates have involved huge assumptions and sometimes wide variations,…

Examines the findings of the reanalyses and argues that spending more money on schools is not futile. Also indicates where additional or redistributed resources for schools should be spent. (JF)

Discusses the effects of the present distribution pattern for Federal aid to education funds. Examines the equalizing effects of Federal funds among States, and offers some preliminary information regarding intrastate equalizing patterns. (Author/MF)

Article examined the remedies available to states in the wake of Serrano and its progeny. As well, it analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of "district power equalizing" and "full state assumption" as alternative methods of financing schools. (Editor/RK)

This article describes the past 25 years of school finance policy reforms, illustrates tensions among various value proponents, and distills commonalities of reform efforts and their effects. Speculations on the probable points of conflict for the 1980s are provided. (Author/LC)

Analyzes the recent role of the Federal Government in public education in view of the reported rural bias of the Congress and the urban bias of the Executive. (JM)

Persistant economic uncertainty fueled by continuing conditions such as high federal deficits, nagging unemployment, foreign trade imbalances, and growing overseas borrowings has evoked intensified public faith in education as a means for regaining U.S. economic vitality. (Author/LMO)

Describes the range of reforms that might result from the equal protection suits and assesses their educational consequences, good and bad, as well as assessing equal protection remedies in terms of their potential for education reform. (Author/JM)

In light of the passage of Proposition 13 in California, which requires rethinking of the state's school financing structure, the author assesses the advantages and disadvantages of complete state financing v retaining some proportion of the revenue function at the local level. (Author/SJL)

Educational decisions will increasingly be made at the State rather than at the local level; here are implications for school leaders. (Author/JN)

Behind the concept of power equalization is the assumption that at any specified tax rate every school district in a State, regardless of wealth, has the same dollar resource level per pupil. A State established schedule of local district funding level choices related to tax rates is essential; however, tax levels are always a product of the…

Present educational finance policies can be construed to be in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. Assisted by the National Urban Coalition, the authors of this book have compiled a great deal of information and analysis on school services in the State of Michigan--information which…

This book proposes a new form of school governance based on contracting and family choice. Under the proposed plan, all public schools would operate under contracts that define each school's mission, its guarantee of public funding, and its grounds for accountability. The contracts would have two parties--the local school board and the individual…

Contents of this book include: (1) "New Models: The Need for School Reform," James W. Guthrie--a survey of some of the past successes of our educational system, an attempt to assess present public opinion about it, and an analysis of some possible explanations for its apparent inability to perform satisfactory; (2) "National Assessment: A History…