This mongraph describes and analyzes the competing demands of many citizens, special interest groups, and organizations for educational equity. The significant role that the Federal government has played in the educational system over the past 30 years through financing and legislation is discussed. Four case studies are presented relating to areas in which the activists of the 1970s sought to change educational policies and programs. Each study describes the definition of equality espoused by the protagonists, the organization of the advocacy groups, the strategies they employed to obtain desired action by politicians and educators, and the present status of their efforts. Each study is then compared in terms of issues and the interest group involved, the interplay of judicial, legislative, and administrative actions, and the cost considerations applying to the new programs. Some general observations about the historical and political aspects of educational reform and several alternative views about the fate of the educational system in years to come are offered. A topical bibliography is included. (Author/EB)