This monograph contains five presentations delivered during the course of an attempt made in November 1992 to amend the state constitution of Illinois in such a way as to make education a fundamental constitutional right. The effort failed to garner the 60 percent of the vote required to pass the amendment. These presentations made a strong advocacy case for the amendment's approval. The first presentation was given before a rural group that issued a legal challenge to the state school finance system. The second piece is a written statement presented to the Task Force on Illinois School Finance. The statement was based on reports from the task force and is the most specific to Illinois of all of the presentations in this collection. The third presentation outlines the broad philosophical arguments for making education a constitutional right. The fourth presentation explores questions about whether inequalities in spending at different schools makes a difference in the quality of education. The fifth presentation was given after the defeat of the constitutional amendment at the polls and the court challenge. It discusses the impact of the losses and national trends in education. Suggested readings and an appendix containing the status of school finance constitutional litigation are included. (JPT)