The purpose of this paper is to review briefly the major federal and state cases dealing with fiscal equalization in state school support programs and to discuss, in depth, the conflicting rulings in the state courts, with particular attention given to the problems created by use of the "thorough and efficient" concept in Robinson v.…

Hank Levin, the director of Stanford University's Institute for Research and Governance, discusses part of his center's research agenda and the pessimistic prospects surrounding educational finance. Condensed from "Educational R&D Report," Fall 1980. (Author/SJL)

Federal, State, and private entities combined efforts and deliberately created this country's dual racial system of higher education. This dual system is characterized by distinctions in the racial composition of students and faculty, and by more salient and inequitable distinctions in patterns of funding, growth, and development. Black colleges…

An overview of recent state level policy developments and policy analysis research as related to equity and efficiency objectives in public school finance is presented. Emphasis is placed on identifying complementarities, rather than the tradeoffs, between equity and efficiency criteria. (Author/LC)

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…

Summarizes 16 state court decisions in 15 states concerning equity in statewide school finance systems, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez" decision. Finds that some state legislatures and courts reformed their finance systems, while others let inequalities continue. (RW)

While saving for college is important, educators should beware of savings programs involving significant funding. The difficulties of middle-class families should not divert attention from the problems of the less advantaged. A variety of savings plans will be needed, and both public and private educational and financial institutions will have a…

States have made major strides in devising more equitable school finance plans. Constructive debates still occur, however, over the choice of basic funding plans, the balancing of taxes and expenditures in new finance plans, and the need and feasability of coordinating financial and educational reform movements. The resolution of these debates at…

The disproportionate flow of federal money to white institutions has added to inequities of state funding, and reduced federal appropriations now threaten further desegregation efforts. Past interaction between college desegregation and federal aid can provide clues to future legislative and judicial strategies for maximizing educational choice.…

Explores the evolution of equal educational opportunity from legal, historical, philosophical, and policy perspectives. Suggests how the goals of equal education may be pursued under "new federalism" and current economic decline, and describes the role that State legislatures and departments of education must play. (Author/GC)

Presents a dissenting view on the question of racial separation in higher education. It argues that the decision in Brown v. Board of Education was racist and that integration does not guarantee equality. The author states that all-black colleges are not inherently unequal and that separatism is a free and conscious choice in the context of…

Based on a definition of equity that includes both equality in expenditure per pupil and fiscal neutrality, this paper examines equity in Illinois school finance and makes recommendations for its improvement. Following a brief introduction outlining deterioration of equity since 1977, part 2 describes further reasons for this deterioration. The…

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)

In four chapters this monograph examines how states and the nation have defined both an adequate education and the funding level required to provide it, and suggests an approach to the issues of educational adequacy and equity. Chapter 1 defines adequacy in terms of the provision of learning services sufficient to meet a goal and argues that the…

There are numerous conflicts over which level of government should regulate education and over how much support each level of government should give to education. In education there are continuous pressures for and against an expanded federal role. Though the prospect of additional federal funds is welcomed by most state officials, they disagree…