Presents a history of New Jersey's Public School Education Act of 1975, including a discussion of the landmark decision Robinson v. Cahill (1970), which found the state's educational finance system unconstitutional. Measures of expenditure disparity and wealth neutrality are then used to assess the present New Jersey school finance system. (JW)

Given the changing legal context for higher education desegregation cases, there is an apparent need to rethink the strategies used by integration advocates. Examines implications of the articles in this special issue for the ongoing policy discourse on "de jure" segregation and inquires whether grounds exist for litigation on the "de facto"…

Rural Georgia schools have unique needs arising from inequitable funding and high teacher and administrator turnover. Central Savannah River Area Regional Educational Service Agency, which serves 12 school districts, assists with teacher recruitment and preparation, federal regulations, school improvement planning and implementation, and…

Although the driving philosophy underpinning British educational reform since 1988 has emphasized "quality" and "choice," few governmental pronouncements have addressed equity issues. This article defines "equity," focusing on distributional equity as a framework for examining reforms such as formula funding,…

Describes the historical purpose of black colleges and discusses whether the continued existence of publicly supported black colleges is justifiable after nearly 40 years of jurisprudence specifically oriented to the elimination of 1-race educational institutions. (127 footnotes) (MLF)

Examines how divergent values and belief systems operate within educational politics. Reviews five questions (concerning educational quality and equality, schooling's purpose, curriculum decisions, school policy making, and financial responsibility for schools) and their underlying value tensions within the research areas of micropolitics, school…

Textual analysis and statistical data are presented to support the contention that the current formula for providing federal financial aid to campuses serving low-income students (which is based on 1985 distribution patterns) penalizes states such as California which face demographic trends involving greatly increased numbers of needy students.…

Rural school improvement requires that state educational policies empower rural educators to attempt innovative programs. After extensive grassroots input, the Alaska Legislature defined seven statewide educational needs relating to poor school performance. A Washington education reform bill allows schools to do anything not expressly forbidden by…

Presents key findings from a survey on direct state expenditures for child care and early childhood development services. The survey found striking disparities among the 50 states, as well as patterns of inadequate investment in every state. Recommendations are offered to increase and improve state and federal investments in such services to…

Reports on a study of educational equity in Irish secondary schools. Finds that, although overall class differences in educational attainment declined, barriers based on socioeconomic status were not removed. Presents alternative reform efforts that might have been more effective without costing more money. (CFR)

The West Virginia School Building Authority has arbitrarily emphasized economies of scale as a requirement for statewide facilities funding. This requirement has forced consolidation in sparsely populated areas with resultant "diseconomies of scale" related to transportation costs, increased dropout rates, and decreased parental and…

Per-pupil expenditures in the lowest spending states are half of those in the highest-spending states. The federal government could equalize interstate spending by subsidizing spending in poorer states. The plan must consider the dollar's varying purchasing power, higher expenditures for educating disadvantaged children, and disincentives for…

The current obsession with standardizing curricula and measuring output may further reduce teacher agency and marginalize segments of our society that are already cheated by the system. Enormous discrepancies exist among public-school facilities, resources, and teachers. Multicultural education will suffer unless legislatures address these…

Discusses six themes related to inequalities in education and their impact on student achievement: Social inequities, curriculum and assessment, teacher expectations, teacher allotment inequities, social choice, and funding inequities. (Contains 48 references.) (PKP)

Describes an eight-step integrated school district strategy for individual school reform that makes the pursuit of greater school equity, accountability, and efficiency a mutually supporting, goal-oriented activity capable of facilitating student academic excellence. Discusses how districts and schools can benefit from this and emphasizes steps to…