ERIC Number: ED612468
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Feb
Pages: 54
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
From Courthouse to Statehouse--and Back Again: The Role of Litigation in School Funding Reform
Sciarra, David; Dingerson, Leigh
Education Law Center
After five decades advocating for school finance reform, Education Law Center (ELC) sees the urgent need to deepen understanding of how differing strategies--from litigation to research to grassroots organizing to communicating with the public--can combine to achieve successful school funding reform in the states. In "From Courthouse to Statehouse--and Back Again," the authors review significant school funding victories in Massachusetts, Kansas, Washington, and New Jersey, to explore the workings of a broad political approach to reform. In each of these states, early legal victories suffered setbacks from economic downturns, shifts in political power, or just plain legislative gridlock. In each case, new campaigns for funding equity were launched, broadening the range of strategies and organizations at the table. And in each case, the synergy created by these multi-faceted campaigns delivered significant new funding for the state's public schools. From the exploration of success in these four states, this report identifies key lessons to guide the work of advocates and lawyers on school funding reform.
Descriptors: Court Litigation, Finance Reform, Educational Finance, School Support, Educational Equity (Finance), Public Schools, State Aid, State Legislation, Politics of Education, Elementary Secondary Education
Education Law Center. 60 Park Place Suite 300, Newark, NJ 07102. Tel: 973-624-1815; Fax: 973-624-7339; e-mail: elc@edlawcenter.org; Web site: http://www.edlawcenter.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Authoring Institution: Education Law Center
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts; Kansas; Washington; New Jersey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A