Discusses the U.S. Supreme Court decision in "Halderman v. Pennhurst State School and Hospital," involving the rights of and treatment provided for residents in a Pennsylvania institution for the severely retarded, under the federal Rehabilitation Act, the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, and a state law. (RW)

Since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1972 landmark "Rodriguez" decision (constitutionally challenging Texas's school-finance system), courts have increasingly used student assessments as evidence of educational adequacy and focused more on educational quality than fiscal equity. Despite pitched battles, a consensus of adequacy and quality may…