Education Law Research

Since Brown v. Board of Education and the desegregation battles of the 1960s and 1970s, the legal pursuit of educational opportunity in the United States has been framed largely around race. But for nearly thirty years now, a less-noticed but controversial legal campaign has been afoot to equalize or improve the resources of poorly funded schools. This book examines both the consequences of efforts to use state constitutional provisions to reduce the "resource segregation" of American schools and the politics of the opposition to these decisions. On Equal Terms compares the relative success of school finance lawsuits to the project of school desegregation and explores how race and class present sharply different obstacles to courts. Since a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively deferred to the states in the matter of educational equity, about a third of state judiciaries have mandated reform of state-level educational funding systems. Douglas Reed analyzes both the rhetoric of reform and the varying effects of these controversial decisions while critiquing the courts' failure to more clearly define educational equity. Well-written with keen insight throughout, the book concludes with an intriguing policy proposal that acknowledges obstacles to such efforts. This proposal aims to enhance education by fostering racial and economic integration locally. Setting the stage for a more coherent debate on this controversial issue and expanding our understanding of constitutional design, On Equal Terms will have far-reaching implications for law, public policy, politics, and not least, the future of American education.

The first work of its kind to present a comprehensive survey of landmark court decisions on educational adequacy and equity claims and their impact on public school reform. In Educational Adequacy and the Courts: A Reference Handbook, education researcher Elaine Walker presents an in depth analysis of pivotal court cases and their impact on educational adequacy and reform, illuminating the inherent challenges of redressing long-standing problems associated with state funding mechanisms for K-12 education. In addition to an eye opening, state-by-state discussion of court rulings and their effect on education, Walker covers such topics as the moral imperative for educational reform, the failure and success of federal and state reform efforts, and the historical importance of school finance litigation in the reform of school systems in high poverty areas. The work also highlights alternative ways in which improvement can be approached and sheds light on the overall complexities of setting educational policy. * Coverage of pivotal court decisions such as Abbott v. Burke, Rose v. Council of Education, and Alabama Coalition for Equity, Inc. v. Hunt * Directory of organizations, associations, and agencies involved in educational adequacy issues and school reform

The Bendosa family is so poor that they hardly eat anything but lentil soup. So when a lost little chicken wanders into their front yard, Leora envisions keeping it as a pet and having scrambled eggs for breakfast every morning. Besides, how much work is one little chicken? But, following the dictates of Jewish law that "finders aren't keepers", her mother tells her that they must care for the chicken until its rightful owner returns. An act of goodwill leads to a chaotic house when one little chicken becomes a flock of chickens, then two goats, then a herd of goats! The watercolour illustrations in a charming folk style brings this traditional tale to humorous life.

With American public education caught in a dual crisis--of both its performance and its legitimacy--educational governance has found itself increasingly on trial or under attack. This yearbook examines the sources of both crises and assesses the startling range of reform measures--many of which would, not so long ago, have seemed unthinkable--that are now being adopted. Authors include Jane Hannaway, Kenneth Strike, Tyll van Geel, Paul Hill, Allan Odden, Luvern Cunningham, Michael Kirst, James Cibulka, Jack Jennings, Bruce Cooper, Charles Taylor Kerchner, Frederick Hess, Joseph Cronin, Michael Usdan, Carolyn Herrington, and Frances Fowler.