Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Fair Funding and includes: (1) Fair Funding of Texas Schools is Even More Critical in Tough Economic Times (Albert Cortez); (2)…

In Texas, all students are equal, but once again some are more equal than others. This policy update provides a description of the key elements of the existing Texas school funding system, identifies features that contribute to equity and those that maintain and expand inequity, and includes recommended reforms that would reinstate critical…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Enlightened Public Policy and includes: (1) The Status of School Finance Equity in Texas (Albert Cortez); and (2) Disciplinary…

This booklet describes a community dialogue convened by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) in Little Rock focused on creating a blueprint for action for improved educational opportunities for all children, particularly for minority children. It includes key insights from the experiences, recommendations for action and lists…

More than 50 years ago, in Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that sending children to separate schools solely on the basis of race was unconstitutional. Seven years prior, the Supreme Court ruled in Mendez vs. Westminster and the California Board of Education that Mexican American children could not be denied access…

Texas educators and communities have long fought for educational equity. From the earliest major school finance cases, the pressing need for equity has been at the heart of school finance litigation. And the courts have affirmed through numerous cases that equity must be addressed. Recapture provisions in Texas? current school finance system are…

The Texas Supreme Court has sent the Texas school finance case back to trial to consider the suitability, adequacy and equity of the Texas school finance system. From its filing in 1984, the Texas case has generally been seen as an "equity" case. The trial set for July 2004 is generally seen as an "adequacy" case. This article clarifies the…

Some groups that are pressing for changes in the state's school funding system represent the interests of a small number of school districts that see themselves as somehow "unfairly" impacted by the state's recapture provisions. Recapture is the part of the funding system that re-allocates state resources that are concentrated in a small number of…

Americans agree that a child's future should not depend on his or her heritage, parents' income or neighborhood. The U.S. sense of justice insists that America be the land of opportunity where all of its citizens are considered equal. Some people may wonder why funding schools fairly is an issue that needs to be talked about. They may ask: Are…

This paper analyzes Texas Senate Bill 351 that reforms public school funding. The bill provides for additional state funding and significant increases in local property taxes. The bill creates county education taxing units to neutralize the enormous property wealth differences found among the state's 1,056 school districts. It also provides a…