11. Lessons from State School Finance Inform a New Federal Right to Equal Access to a High- Quality Education

Abstract

In this chapter, Carmel Martin and Ulrich Boser, along with their associates Meg Benner and Perpetual Baffour, examine five decades of state fiscal equity litigation and determine what lessons can be used to inform the development and enforcement of a federal right to education. They conclude that the federal government will need to go beyond simply requiring that education be a right. In other words, the federal government also will need to ensure that at-risk students receive additional resources and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the key ingredients to success are available regardless of students’ backgrounds or zip codes. The authors also explain why building political will for change is critical for impactful reform.