Discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in "San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez," handed down 10 years ago, concerning financial equity in the Texas school finance program. Summarizes Justice Powell's majority opinion and Justice Marshall's dissent and introduces the two following articles assessing the decision's…

A federal judge's specifications for desegregating Mississippi's state colleges are excerpted from a recent court ruling. Issues addressed include the state's formula for financing colleges, whether the case should focus on students or institutions, the missions of historically black colleges and predominantly white institutions, and campus…

Supporters of Black colleges have said that the threat of court-imposed penalities was an invaluable asset in efforts to win state funds and block proposals to close Black colleges. That leverage is gone with a recent ruling by a federal judge. (MLW)

Discusses the Montana Supreme Court's declaration that the Montana system of financing education was unconstitutional as it relates to emerging legal principles drawn from federal school finance court challenges. Speculates on future directions in state education finance equity litigation. (54 references) (MLF)

A federal appeals court ordered new trials on whether curriculum at Alabama's predominantly white colleges discriminates against blacks by lacking content on black thought and history, and whether much of the state land-grant program should be shifted from Auburn University to Alabama A&M, a historically black institution. (MSE)

A federal district judge ruled that state officials failed to demonstrate the need to close Mississippi Valley State University and merge Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State University to meet desegregation requirements. He ordered Mississippi to provide additional funds to two other black colleges, and approved a state plan…

In reviewing court cases in education, the author focuses on the interrelationships among judicial decisions, educational administrators' prerogatives, and the economic welfare of public education. Cases are drawn from the areas of racial segregation, handicapped and bilingual education, state financing of schools, and church-state separation.…

Since 1970 approximately half of the states have challenged the constitutionality of state educational funding methods under equal protection or educational adequacy grounds. A review of court cases finds no clear trend towards acceptance or rejection of state provisions for school financing but does reveal a heightened awareness of inequity in…

The Pope called upon Roman Catholic institutions of higher learning to "make known their Catholic identity" by integrating Catholic teaching and discipline in all university activities. Religious institutions find themselves facing precarious legal challenges, where the constitutionality of government appropriations could be challenged,…