Equality of educational opportunity is a social goal in both the United States and Canada; yet, the nations differ considerably in their approaches and progress toward this objective. Canada appears to have achieved greater equality of condition vis-a-vis education than has the United States, judged by variation in expenditure per student among school boards. In Canada, federal and local power in education is less, but provincial authority is greater, than in the United States. The greater provincial authority provides a more wholistic base for decision making. Louis Hartz's political theory, which emphasizes the varying roles of liberal traditions and values, provides an explanation for these national differences. While both English-Canada and the United States are essentially liberal fragments of European society, the historical point at which they were severed from Europe has influenced the political philosophies that predominate in the societies. In the United States, liberalism takes the form of equality of opportunity for its citizens; in English-Canada, of equal conditions for its citizens. Because of this difference between a wholistic view for Canada and an individualistic view for the United States, responses to social problems have been different. For example, while states attempt to bring low-expenditure districts up to a state median without raising the median for balancing funds among jurisdictions, Ontario has put a ceiling on educational expenditure and is achieving a low variation in expenditure through provincial-level control. (Author/JH)