School finance reform has reflected, over the last 10 years, the changing relationship between education and state government. Emerging from the case histories presented here is the conclusion that, gradually, the barriers separating education policymakers from general government have been lowered. At the same time, the fragmentation among…

This paper examines two states operating under Federal Court Orders concerning deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental retardation. New Hampshire is presented as a state in which sociopolitical realities have interfered with efforts to monitor the quality of care, as the Laconia State School was closed for economic reasons, thereby…