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BrighamYoungUniversityEducationandLawJournalVolume2013|Number1Article6Spring3-1-2013The"RacetotheTop"andtheInevitableFalltotheBottom:HowthePrinciplesofthe"CampaignforFiscalEquity"andEconomicIntegrationCanHelpClosetheAchievementGapCassandraAbbottFollowthisandadditionalworksat:https://digitalcommons.
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RecommendedCitationCassandraAbbott,The"RacetotheTop"andtheInevitableFalltotheBottom:HowthePrinciplesofthe"CampaignforFiscalEquity"andEconomicIntegrationCanHelpClosetheAchievementGap,2013BYUEduc.
&L.
J.
93(2013).
Availableat:https://digitalcommons.
law.
byu.
edu/elj/vol2013/iss1/6.
TIIE""RACETOTHETCW11ANDTHEINEVITABLEFALLTOTIIEBOTTOM:HOWTIIEPRINCIPLESOfTHE"'CAMPAIGNfORFISCALEQUITY11ANDECONOMICINTEGRATIONCANHELPCLOSETHEACHIEVEMENTGAPI.
INTRODUCTIONEveryweekdaymorning,students~KrossAmericapledgeallegiancetothet1ag.
Theypledgeallegianceto"onenation.
.
.
withlibertyandjusticet(>rall,"1butinreality,theAmericaneducationsystemisriddledwithinjusticesandinequalities.
2EmbeddedbehindtheAmcrionizcdidealsofequalityandjusticetherelieunspokenpoliciesofsegregationandinequality.
3ThesepoliciescontributetothestunninginequalitiesthatpervadetheAmericanpubliceducationsystem,addingtotheachievementgap.
4Asanation,wemustbehonestaboutthet:lctthat,althoughoureducationsystemisgreatinmanyrespects,itispermeatedwithdisparitics.
5MillionsofAmericanchildrenfromlow-incomeandminoritycommunitiest:lcceducationalinequitiesthatresultinundcrpcrf(m11~lncc6and,ultimately,anAmericancitizenrybrgclyuncduotcdandill-preparedtobecontributingmembersofsocietyInm~myrespects,thisinequityineducationistheCivilRightsissueofourtime.
~PresidentObanu'sRacetotheTop("RTlT")educationrd(mnisdeepeningeducationalinequalitybyincreasingdisparitiesinfundingthroughtheuscofcompetitive-basedgrants.
Essentially,I.
Thelndcp.
H,lliAss'n,Thel'!
nzt.
;eofAJk:t.
:I;lncc,IIISTORICALDOCUMENTS(2012),http://www.
ushistrv.
rg/dWS-henvcctJ-rich-a11d-pr-studies-show.
htmP_r=2&pagewantcd=all&src=ISMR_Al'_JJ)_MST_J::Bachievementgap).
3.
!
d.
4.
1dS.
1d6.
ld(rckrrin",.
.
,tothe7.
C1mpaigntin·FiscalEquity,Inc.
v.
NewYork,IOON.
Y.
2d~93,90S-O~(N.
Y.
2003).
~-ALLL\1\CEI'MEANS4(J::ch.
I,20II),http://www.
'll]LilV.
org/nv/wp-content/uploads/20II/0I/2_IS_20II-jint-(:FE-AQE-kgislative-budget-hcaring-cducation-final.
pdf9394B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNALl2013RTITstripschildrenoftheirrighttoanadequate,equitableeducationbyprovidingstudentsin"winning"statestheopportunitytolearninhigh-qualityenvironments,whilechildrenin"losing"statesarcdeprivedofthissameopportunityduetoalackoffundingYTheprinciplesencompassingNewYorkState'seducationrctrpersonal,real-worldexperiencetovalidateone'sperspective.
MystudentteachingexperiencesinwesternNewYork,f(>rexample,demonstratetheconsequencesofinequitablehmding,whichpervadetheeducationalsystematlarge.
Oneofmyfirststudent-teachingplacementswasataninner-cityelementaryschool-af(nirth-gradeclassatRochesterSchoolNumber5("School5").
Theclassconsistedofthirty-sevenstudentsandoneteacher.
AbouthalfofthestudentsintheclasswereclassifiedasEnglishasaSecondLanguagestudents.
StudentenrollmentatSchool5includeda92.
41,\iJminoritypopulation.
l3further,lessthanhalfofthestudentsintheschoolperf(>rmcdata"proficient"levelonanyofthestatestandardizedtests.
14About90%ofthestudentsatSchool5werefromhouseholdsthatreceivedpublicassistancc.
1SSchool5isaprimeexampleofhowpovertyandalackoftlmdingafleetstudents'qurd,NewYork.
Pittsf(m.
iisoneofthemoreat1lucntdistrictswithintheNewYorkStateschoolsystemwithanestimated42%higheraveragehouseholdincomethananysurroundingcounty.
1612.
CampaigntrfiscalEquity,Inc.
v.
NewYork,IOON.
Y.
2d893,914(2003).
13.
,~dwol5fohnWtlkuns,I.
OCi\LSCJ!
OOLDIRH:TORY.
U>M,http://www.
localschooldircctorv.
com/public-schoolf60874/NY(lastvisited)IU>SCI!
S.
,l'nTSH>RilSCI!
OOI.
SATi\l;LA~CF(2009),http:/jwww.
pitts!
(>rdscllls.
rg/tilcsjtiksvstcm/P(:SI)'){,20Glancc%20EINAI.
'){,20prcss%20rc96B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNAL[2013Thesecond-gradeclassIwasassignedconsistedoftwenty-onestudents,ateacher,andacertifiedclassroomaide.
Approximately90ofthestudentsinthePittsf()rddistrictperfv/about/Vervicw/ti.
xl/lOf:JCts/iJllkx.
html.
20.
Schoolfiiuncc,Enuc.
WEEK(Aug.
4,2004),http://www.
cdweek.
org/cw/issucs/sdH>ol-timncc/.
2l.
Spellings,supJ;Jnotcl9.
22.
Jd.
ll"RACETOTHETOP"97teachers.
"23TheNoChildLettBehindAct("NCLB")of2001wasintendedtobeare~mthorizationofESEA.
24NCLB'sexpresspurposesincluderaisingachievementf{>rallstudentsandclosingtheachievementgap.
25However,inreality,NCLBisatest-centricactthathasplacedtoogreatanemphasisonadequateyearlyprogress("AYP"),thusbilingtodriveeducationalimprovementwhereitisneededthemost.
26NCLBistheepitomeofthecarrot-and-stickapproachtoeducationrd(m11.
ThroughNCLB,thefederalgovernmentoffersfundingtrschoolsthatmeetAYPbenchmarks(basedonstandardizedtestscores)whilesanctioningschoolsthatdonotmeetthesestandards27byt:1ilingtoprovide~1dditionalhmdingtothoseschoolsunabletomeetthestandardsontheircurrentbudget.
NCLBmandateshigherscores,buthilstoprovidepoorerschoolswiththeresourcestonukethisachievementpossible.
2HInessence,themandateishollow,settingupthemorewealthyschoolsf(>rtl1rthersuccessandthelesswealtlwschoolstrftJrtherE1ilure.
WhilethepublicizedgoalsofNCLBmaybecredible,abckoftlmdinghasprovenproblematic.
2lulpolicv.
pbwrks.
em/f/(:Ir>sing+the+Achicvement+Gclp+·+Socir>ecrmomic+lntegrc1tion.
pdf.
27.
U.
S.
lkp'tofEduc.
,O!
'CITJc-w:J(mrl'il!
:m·of'NCf_lJ,Ell.
liO\'(JulyI,20041,htq>:/fed.
gV/nclb/r>verview/illtr/4piIIars.
htmI.
2X.
J::ed.
Educ.
BudgetProject,H:1dgmund&An1/r:1i1:No(]uldfeltHchindl-inl-child-ldi:-behind-li1nding.
2rNCLBtestinginclude:anestimated$3.
rtestsintheircurrentl(>rm,$S.
3billiontrmultiplechoiceandcssavti>n11rastrict!
vmultiplechoiceeum.
U.
S.
(;Fr-.
:.
Au:oUNTINli0HICF,TITLEI(Mav2003),.
11.
1if.
lhlc:Ithttp://www.
gao.
gV/new.
itcms/d033Hofthemonn·aurhori~eedwasclctllclllyappropriated.
U.
S.
Dep'tofEduc.
,Overview:Rllrmationinlightofthesegregatedsocialhbricofmanyregionsofthecountry.
Althoughithasbeennearlysixtyyearssincethatlandmarkcase,theeducationalsystemcontinuestostruggletoprovideanequaleducationtoallsttH.
knts.
41Educationreformscholarsarguethatracialsegregation,fundinginequity,andeducationalinequalitygohandinh~md.
42Inthe1990s,courtsbcg~mtoexaminewhethertheachievementgapbetweenminorityandwhitestudentswasalso~1"vcstige"43ofthet(mllersegregatedschoolsystcm.
44Today,educationanalystsargueth~ltracialandeconomicsegregationcontributelargdytothe~Khievcmmtgap.
4STheCommunityServiceSocietyoftheNewYorkCityBo~1rdofEducationhasfound:Thereisno"evidence"of"dcliber~1teindividualdiscrimination"IbutthefKtthatI"thosewhoallocateresourcesmakedecisionsoverandoveragainwhichpenalizethepoorestdistricts".
.
.
"speakstosystematicbiaswhichconstitutesaconspiracvofeffect.
.
.
.
Whetherconsciouslvornot,thesystemwritesotritspooreststudents.
"46·Achievementdisparitiesarcpervasiveandposeaseriouschallenget(>reducators~mdpolicymakers,andassuch,theymustbe3'1.
fd40.
/d.
at4'13.
41.
ERICAl'R:\~KE!
'\BFRGETAL.
,AMULTIRM:IM.
SOCIETYW!
TllSHiRHiATFllSrchildrenincludedlowerdropoutrates,ahigherlikelihoodroattendcollege,mdbeincollege-trackcbsses,moreteachersupport,sm,lllerdassc·s,andhigherstudentachievement.
Thesestudents.
1lsoweremorelikelvtoha1·eti·ienchwhowr:rebothblackandwhite,amididnotexperience.
urymorelrarassrnelltti·omtheirpeersthanthosewhoremainedinthecit\'did.
").
46.
)0:--.
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XIIIA\:Kozor,S;\\'Al;ElNE(.
)l!
AIITIES99(Harperl'ermniallsted.
l'J'I2).
100B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNAL[2013addressedandcorrectedimmediately.
Yctanotherissueineducationrdl:m11includestheparametersofasn1dcnt'sconstitutionalrighttoaneducation.
B.
TheConstitutionalRighttoaComprehensivehducationalOpportuni~J'Statecourtshaveinterpretedthephrase"mcanint,rfulcducation"47tosuggestthattheConstitutionguaranteesthatasoundbasiceducationbegivenconcrete,substantivecontcnt.
4XWordssuchas"adcquatc"4rexample,orderedthatstudentsinthestate'spooresturbandistrictsbeprovidedadditionalresourcesbeyondthelevelcurrentlyenjoyedbvstudentsinaftlucntsuburbs.
54Thecourtreasoned:Thisrecordshowsthattheeducationalneedsofstudentsinpoorerurlundistrictsvastlyexceedthoseofothers,especiallythosefi·omricherdistricts.
Thedith:rcnccismonumental,nonutterhowitismeasured.
Thoseneedsgobeyondeducationalneeds;theyincludetod,clothingandshelter,andextendtolackofcloseE11nilv~mdcommunityticsandsupport,andlackofhelpfulrolemodels.
Thcvincludetheneedsthatarisefromaliteledinanenvironmentofviolence,poverty,anddespair.
.
.
.
Thegoalistomotivatethem,to\vipcouttheirdisadvantagesasmuchasaschooldistrictcan,andtogivethemaneducationalopportunitythatwillenablethemtousctheirinnateability.
55Inordertosucccssti!
llyrd(mntheeducationsystematlarge,thegovernmentmustbewillingtoadjustthedefinitionofwhatconstitutesa"mcaningtill"educationinlightofthecurrentachievementgap.
Inordertocounteractthegap,thebctorscontributingtoitmustfirstbeexamined.
CTheRclationslnjJBetweenStrugglingSchoof~·andConcentJ:JtcdPovertvAlthoughstatecourtshaveheldthatthequalityofcduotionchildrenreceiveshouldbethes~1mcregardlessofwhethertheyliveinrichorpoordistricts,thestruggletoclosetheachievementgapcontinucs.
56Bytheageofnine,studentsinlow-incomeareasarc~1lrcadytestingthreegradeleveLbehindtheirpeersinmoreatllucntcommunities,57andasthesestudentscontinuewiththeirpubliceducation,theachievementgaponlyexpands.
sx~orexample,54.
Abbottv.
Burke,575A.
2d35Y,363(IYYO).
55.
!
dat400.
56.
RooseveltFlcmcntarvSch.
Dist.
No.
66v.
Bishop,17ramcriu.
org/assnsfdocumcnts/cqnitywithinrcach(List\·isitcd/cln.
21,2012).
SX.
!
d102B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNALchildrenfromt:m1ilicsmakingover$90,000haveaone-in-twodunceofgraduatingfromcollegebytheageoftwenty-four,butthatnumberdropsdrasticallytooneinseventeenf()rchildrenfrombmilicsmakinglessth~m$35,000.
5rccinshapingincquality.
61further,thefederalgovernmentincreasestheexistingdisparitybetweentherichestandpoorestschoolsthroughtheirpolicies-effectivelyafederalsubsidyf(>ranunequaleducation.
62Concentratedpovertyandsegregationarcarguablythebiggestculpritsoftheachievementgap.
63Ill.
RACETOTHETOPA.
ABrieFOverviewoFR77TThroughRm',thefederalgovernmentsolicitsstatestoadvancerd(xmsaroundf(mrspecificarcas:64(l)adoptingstandardsandassessmentsthatpreparestudentstosucceedincollegeandtheworkplaceandtocompeteintheglobaleconomy;(2)buildingdatasystemsthatmeasureSh!
dcntgrowthandsuccessandinf(m11teachersandprincipalshowtheycanimproveinstruction;(3)recruiting,developing,rewarding,andretainingcftectivcteachersandprincipals,especiallywheretheyarcneededmost;and(4)implementingtheabovethreercf(mnsinordertoturnaroundthe59.
!
d.
60.
Dc1nal;o]dstein,hlucw(mRctimn;~nd.
~dwolfiuu!
JiJ!
{,TilEA.
vl.
l'RSI'Fspect.
rg/artickjeduutirm-and-schl-funding.
61.
ld62.
Ko;;oL,supr;~note46,at54-55("[S[incepropertvtaxiscountedasataxdeductionbythetCdercllgovernment,homeownersinclwealthysuburbgethackasubstantialportionoftheirmoncvthatthcvspendtotimdtheirchildrm'sschools.
Additionallv,themortgageinterestthathomeownerspayisalsotrccltedasatudeduction-cssenriallvclsecondfederalsubsich·.
").
63.
ld64.
ARJ'.
:EDUNC;\N,ADDRESSBYSECRET/\RYOf'EllUCi\TIO:-\ATTilE2009Gll\'EK:-\OKSEDUCATIONSYMPOSIUM(June14,2009),:li':Jif:z/>/c:Ifhttp://www2.
cd.
gV/Ilt'ws/spceches/200rawardstogotostatesthatledthew~1ywith"ambitiousyetachicv~1bleplansf(>rimplementingcoherent,compelling,andcomprehensiveeducationrd(mn.
"66RTlTwinners-statesthat~H.
iv~l!
1ccdtoroundtwoandroundthree,aswellastheoverallwinnerofRTIT-weresupposedtohelptrail-blazedlcctiverdcm11sandprovideexamplesf(>rstatesandschooldistrictsthroughoutthecountrytofc>llow.
llowcver,inreality,therewillbethreemajornegativeconsequencesofRTIT.
first,teacherswillbe"evaluatedinrelationtotheirstudents'testscores.
"67Thus,"schoolsthatcontinuetogetlowtestscores"willbe"closedorturnedintocharterschools.
"6XSecond,inlow-perf(>rmingschools,principalsandallormost"ofthestaffwillbetircd.
"69Third,"IsltatcsIwillbeIencouragedtocreatemanymoreprivatelymanagedcharterschools.
"7°B.
AssessingtheA1en"tsoFRTiT1.
J.
(:dn:zlfimding!
usn!
oncompetitionVC/~msneedTheeducationrdcm11initiativeRTrrisacompetitivesprint-theleastaptmetaphorf(>rhowtolearninthecontextofprimaryandsecondaryeducation,especiallybecauseitpitsstateag~1inststate.
Insteadofassistinginitsrepair,RTfTisworseningthecurrentdespondentstateofeducationintheUnitedStatcs.
71RTTT'suscofcompctition-b~1scdgrantsiswideningtheachievementgapthroughitsparadoxicalprinciples.
Stateswithgreateraccesstotlmdingarcrewardedwithadditionalt\mdingasaresultofwinningtheallegedracetothetop.
Byrewardingwinningstateswithadditionaltlmding,RTTTsimultaneouslypunishesstates(andschools)thatarcunabletocompeteinthefirstplaceduetoaseverelackoffi.
mdsbydenyingthemaccesstotheveryfundingthathasthepotentialtoimprove6S.
fdcit2-4.
66.
U.
S.
Dcp'tofEduc.
.
Rc1cctotheTophmdl'ro~rcl/11J)cscnjm(m,Ell.
c;ov(Jan.
I0,2012),http://www2.
ed.
gov/progrcll11S/rc\Cetothetop/indcx.
html.
67.
DianeRavitch,Ohuna\RclCCtotheTopvV!
llNor1111f>!
OI'CJoduution,lllJIFI:-.
JGI'O:\PosT(Aug.
I,20I0).
http://www.
hutlingtonpost.
com/diane-ravitch/obamas-rKc-tuse.
gc>V/the-press-fficcjrcmarks-prcsidcnt-amcricas-pre>misc-alliancc-cducaticm-cvcnt.
75.
Krigman,supt:lnotc'J.
76.
TheCcmurv~ound.
,TheCcntli!
TFoundltion:AnU>·en·icw,ABOliTTilEhJU:-o:lli\TION(2012),http://tcf.
org/about("TCfisaprogressivenon-partisanthinktank"progressingidec1sthatadvanceC:i\1.
CO~VE~T!
ON:ONE!
'EOI'I.
E,ONEAMFRIC\(july27,2004),;w;ui:lhlcat1]"RACETOTHETOP"105noteworthy,wearconthewrongpathifweWAsofnow,Obama'sR'I~ITinitiativemerelyservesasadditionalfundingtoBush'sNCLB.
X0Acompletelynewrcf(m11,asopposedtoonethatprovidesadditiotultlmdingwhileencompassingthesameprinciplesofNCLBandRTIT,isnecessary.
2.
!
"ewingbc!
HiJdcqui(vfhrmonL:l':;zdditionalproblemswiththeRT1Tprogram"ICompetitiondocsnotencouragechangeinthecontextofprimaryandsecondaryeducationrctcJrm;t(xcingstudents,schools,andstatestocompetet(xtheircivilrighttoaneducationisnotjust.
X2RTITessentiallycoercesstatestojumpthroughhoopsinordertochasedollarsinsteadofpursuingwhatisinthebestinterestofthestudents.
X3Oneofthesehoopsistheimplementationofcharterschools.
X4Interestinglyenough,underRTITrequirements,themereimplemcntSt.
com/wp-dvn/articks/AI'>75l-2004jul27.
html.
7'>.
Spellings,supr;znoteI'>.
XO.
Dillon,supranote35.
XI.
Ravitch,supr;lnotc67.
X2.
AnanalogycanbedrawntotheprinciplesbehindaHirmativeaction-theideaofcompensatingthosewhohcwebeentreatedunjustly.
Here,studentsinlow-incomecommunitiesneedmoremoncv(notequalmoney)inordertobeabletocompeteonanequalpl.
wingticiL!
.
Anvthinglessisunl:tir.
Kozol.
,supr;lnote46,at5/06/060X200),at';ul:lbk;nhttp:/jcredo.
stanf(,rd.
edujreprdUniversitystudyf(llmdthat"nearlYhalfofthecharterschooLsnationwideluwresultsthatarcnodifferentti·omlocalpublicschooloptionsandover.
1third,37percent,deliverlearningresultsthatarcsignific.
llltlvworsethan"ifthe.
studenthadrcnuincd"intraditionalpublicschools").
X9.
KO/DI,supranote46,at54.
90.
!
d.
9!
.
TilECm.
FORRFSL\RCII0:-\Ellll(.
OUTCOMESATSTANHlRDlJI'\1\'.
,Sllf'/~lllotcX6("Ofthe2,403charterschoolsreflectedonthecurve,46percentofclurtcrschoolsh.
nTmathg.
1instlutarcstatisticallyindistinguishableti·omtheaveragegrowth.
ll11ongtheirItraditionalpublicschoolIcomparisons").
92.
Editori,ll,ShutteringH.
zdCharter.
khoo/;,N.
Y.
TIMES(Feb.
20,2012),http:/jwww.
nvrimcs.
com/2012/02/21/piniols.
htmli_r=0("IDlrtheAdvancementofColoredPeopleLegalDefenseandEduc.
Fund("NAACP"),RacetotheTopHank1ilJ'on(.
'lz.
zrtcr.
~(hoof;·to.
~:wetheFuhizgl'ublic.
klwol.
~btcm,TIIFDEFEt--;llERS0:-\11:-\F:ACiVIlRx:rrrsBL-the-tc>p-baJ1king-is-n>-save-rl1e-1cliiiJlg-pul,Jic-schI-svsrem/.
94.
!
d.
1]"RACETOTHETOP"107charterschoolscannotaddressthe~Khicvcmcntgap.
"%Ardcm11thatispicturechangeisnecessary.
persistentandwidespreadcapableofmakingthebig-Equallyalarmingasthecharterschoolissue,however,isRTCf'srelianceonst~1nd~1rdizcdteststomeasureachievement.
Thisover-relianceontestscoresisalsoahallmarkofthetroubledNCLBAct.
hasadverseconsequencesaswell.
Thispracticemakesstandardizedtestsmoreimportantthanever.
Thus,evenmoretimeandresourcesarcbeingdevotedtoraismgscoresonstandardizedtcsts.
IOOAsaresult,thecurriculumwillbenarrowedfurtherbecauseofthelinkbetweenwagesandscores.
Essentially,RTITpresentsthesameteaching-to-the-testproblemasNCLB.
IOIfurther,initsf(>eusonassessment,RTlTneglectstotipthescaleinhvorofendinganotherbasicf(>rmofeducationalinequity:unequalfunding.
Asitistoday,RTlTservestowidentheachievementgapbyperpetuatinggovernment-sanctionedinequality.
'02Unote26,at28.
m/JJCwswcek/20II/03/20/obama-s-war-on-schools.
html(statingth.
1t"IsJundardizcd-tcstscorescanprovideusdtdinf(>rmarionabouthowstudents.
liTdoing.
Buras.
soonasthescores.
liTtiedtotiringstaff~givingbonuses,andclosingschools,tht:me,lsUJTSbecomethegoalofcduurion,rathertlunanindic1tor.
R.
KctotheTop\\TntevenhevondNCLBinitsrelianceontestscoresastht:ultinuKmeasureofeduutionalqu,llin.
").
nm.
rg.
I0I.
R.
l\·itch,supnznotereducationprofessionalsandtounite.
.
.
membersandthenationtofiJitillthepromiseofpubliceducationtoprepareevcrvstudenttosucceedinadiversecmdinterdependentworld.
"Nat'!
Educ.
Ass'n,NhA\Vi1ion,jtfi1sion,;zndValues(2006),http:jjwww.
nea.
org/homc/Irnorlv40vears.
SincetheCalitrniaSupremeCourt'sl971rulinginSerrano1·.
l'riest,tinance-rct(m11advoutcshavetiledl3l).
separatelawsuitsin45states").
110.
L\liRALEI'KOWITS,SCIIOOI.
~!
NANCE:~ROMEQUITYTOAllEQliACY(M.
lr.
2004),.
ll'.
zil.
zh!
eHhttp://www.
statcinnovation.
org/Rcsearch/EducatiI-Ftmding/50421'1_1'BScilI~inanceBrief.
aspx.
Ill.
C.
1mpaignl(>rFiscalEquitv,supranote10.
112.
Cunpaignt(>r~iscalFquitv,Inc.
v.
NewYork,100N.
Y.
2dX'J3(N.
Y.
2003).
113.
!
d.
114.
Campaignli>rFiscalEquitv,.
IUJ>r;znotc10.
110B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNALprovidesufficientfundstoNewYorkCitypublicschools.
IISCrEalsoarguedthat,asaresult,thesystemdenieditsstudentstheirconstitutionalrighttoa"soundbasiceducation"undertheNewYorkConstitution.
II6TheEducationArticleoftheNewYorkConstitutionst~ltesthat"thelegislatureshallprovideforthemaintenance~mdsupportofasystemoffreecommonschools,whereinallthechildrenofJNewYorkJmaybeeducated.
"II7ThedecisioninCFh'definedthemeaningofthisEducationArticleanddeterminedthattheNewYorkCitypublicschoolsystemwasinviolationoftheEducationArticle.
IIXAsthecasemovedthroughtheNewYorkStatecourtsystem,therewerevarioust(mnulationsofwhatthestatemustdoinordertocomplywithconstih1tionalrequirements.
TheAppellateCourtdecidedthattheNewYorkConstihltionrequiresonlythatschoolsprovidetheopportunitytolearnataneighth-orninth-gradeskilllevel.
11rCFEtoproveitsc1se,however,ithadtoshowthatthe[liluretoprovideasoundbasiceducationwasrelatedtothepresenttl.
mdingsystem.
12STheCourtofAppealsf(nmdthatCrEdidestablisha"causallinkbetweenthepresenttlmdingsystemandanyprovenE1iluretoprovideasoundbasiceducation.
"126NewYorkCityschoolswereshowntohavethemoststudentneedandthehighestlocalcostyetthelowestper-studenttlmdingfromthestateandtheworstresults.
127ThecourtheldthatstateaidtoNewYorkCityschoolsmustbeincreasedwheretheneedishighandthelocalabilitytopayislow.
12XB.
OutcomesTheconsequencesofCFE'sthirteen-yearfiscaladequacylawsuitweredramatic,leadingtoanewer~1inschoolfinancerdcm11withtheenactmentoftheNewYorkStateEducationBudgetandRdcm11Act("EBRA")of2007-2008_129Withover$7billioninadditionalaidscheduledf(>rNewYork'spublicschoolsfromfiscalyears2008-2011andtheimplementationoftheaccountabilityinitiativesthatresultedfromthelitigation,thestagehadbeensetf(>rsystemicchangethatwouldresultinrealprogressf(>rShllknts.
130Unf(>rtunatcly,educationrd(mnunderCFEhasbeenbroughtto123.
!
d.
124.
.
'>(·c1dc\t917("Amongthirdgraders,3Sto40'){,scoredbelowtheIStateReference!
'ointJ,whileintherestofthestateabotJt90%scoredabove.
Theevidenceshowedthatatthethirdgr.
1ckkvdwhenchildrenarcexpectedtoluvelcc1rnedtoread-clscoreattheSRI'meansachildisbarelyliterate,cmdhencethatoverathirdofCityschoolchildrmweretlmctionallyilliterate.
Jl'rogr.
lmEvaluationTestJscoresinsciencecmdsocic1lstudiesshowedNewYorkCityl(nJrth,sixthandeighthgradersinvariablyinthelowestquclrtikstcltewidc,andgenerallybctwemtheIOthand16thpercentile.
").
12S.
/d.
at919.
126.
!
d.
127.
Cunpa~t;nfin·Fi"·a/FROf'TIIFCi\,\ll'i\Il;:--.
J!
'ORFISCAl.
EQUITY(CFE):200X-2009Bum;FTTESTIMONY(Feb.
4,200/;),cll"clil:zh/ccztilrtp://w\vw.
ckquitv.
rg/static_pclgesj200X%20lHJdget%20testimrf(mndationaid_I33Althoughrd(mnunderCfEiscurrentlyatastandstillduetofundingissues,theprinciplesbehindCFE,includingequityandadequacy,inputsinsteadofoutputs,andaccountability,canbeappliedtohelplessentheachievementgapandrestoreeducationequity.
Specifically,CfEf(>eusesonprovidingequitableandadequatefunding.
furthermore,CfEmakesitclearthatbyanalyzingtheinputsinregardstoeducationrd(mn,suchasthecourtdidinCrr:v.
NewYork,I34fi.
1tureeducationrdrm,theemphasismustshifttoananalysisoftheinputsI31.
BRUCED.
BAKER,SCIIOOLFllNlliNliFAIRNESS1:--.
JNEWYORKST;\TE:ANEVi\LU;\TIONOFTilECO:--.
JCFI'TUALi\KllEMI'IRJCi\LBASISi\:--.
JilIMI'LFMEKTi\TIO:--.
l01'TIIFNEWYORKS"L\TFFOllNlli\TIONAIlll'ROliRi\M(Oct.
I,20II).
I32.
Campaignf(lrFisulh]uiry,Cfl":111dA()FTcstJinon}·:Gmn-norOtonuJ\Hl!
rg/hme/dc_and_aqe_testimcmy_gvenlr_cumrPiscalEquity,Inc.
v.
NewYork,100N.
Y.
2dtN3,901(2003).
13S.
R:witch,supranote96.
1]"RACETOTHETOP"11:3(i.
e.
,classsize,qualityofteachersandbcilitics,availableresources,etc.
).
136Inaddition,CfEcreatesaccountabilitymeasuresthatwillhelptofighttheachievementgap.
ShiftingtheeducationreformparadigmbasedontheprinciplesofCfEisnecessarytot:Kilitatcrequitableandadequatetlmding,ashiftoff(>eusfromoutputstoinputs,andrd(>rmcdaccountrunequalneedsisnotcquality.
I3t~CfErecognizesthatlimitingeducationrd(mntobudgetandfinanceisnotthesolution.
I3rmonananalysisI36.
Cunp;llj;ntin·hlulic.
quin·,I00N.
Y.
2dXrsucccsstitleducationrd(mn.
Further,bvLibelingschoolsatrisk,"orreferringtothemasdropoutLlctorics"and".
sinkholes,"wearconlyencouragingtheprolikrationoftheachievementgap.
Dispar;lgingtermssuchasthesestigmatizeschoolsandstudents,thusloweringthebarl(>rnpectl:lnote46,at54.
Theiniti;llRrrrapplicationweighedwhetherSt;ltCSweremaintainingoveralleducationh111dingi11themidstoftherecession,butitdidnotprioritizecquit.
zhlcfi111dingKrossschooldistrictlines.
I3rfiscalEquity,Overview,OURWORK(Feb.
IX,20II),http://www.
ckquin·.
org/static.
phppagc=overview&category=our_work(explainingthatinadditiontobudgetre!
(mn,"CFE'spolicyresearchanda1ulysesvickiin-depth,flct-b;JSCliandactionablereportstostimulatediscussionandinfim11decision-m;lkingoncritiulcducltionpolicvquestions").
114B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNALofthe"inputs"intoschoolswhilealsoconsideringthe"outputs,"thecourtinCFh'v.
NewYm*f(mndacorrelationbetweenthestatetlmdingschemeandthef:1ilurcofNewYorkCityschoolstoprovideasoundbasiceducationtotheirstudcnts.
140fiscalresourcesarcmerelypartofabroaderissue-thetipoftheequityiceberg.
focusingsolelyons~1laricsandrevenuesdistractsfromotherequallyimportantproblems,suchasqualityofeducation.
Othert:Ktorsaffectingthequalityofstudents'educationmustalsobeconsideredinregardtobothcausesofandsolutionstotheachievementgap.
forexample,asucccsstl.
llrcf(mnmusttakeintoaccountthet:lCtthathigh-povertyschools"contendwithchallengessuchastherecruitmentandretentionofhighlyeffectiveteachersandthepromotionofarigorouscurriculum.
High-povertyschoolsnotonlyreportlowernumbersofcertified,experiencedteachersbutalsosufferfromgreaterteacherturnovcr.
"141Additionally,f:Ktorssuchasthequalityoftheadministrativestaft~classsize,accountabilityprovisions,parentinvolvement,andacademicexpectationsofstudentsmustallbeconsidcrcd.
142"AlackofawarenessandengagementamongthepublicIregardingtheIexistenceandextentoftheachievementgapIaswellasItherealitiesofpovertyandsegregation,"mustalsoberedressedinordertoinitiatercform.
143Agreateremphasismustbeplacedontheanalysisofthesesysteminputsinordertopervasivelyrctrmmustplacethef(>eusonbctorssuchasteacherquality,schoolt:Kiliries,andclassroomswithrespecttoenvironmentandclasssize,aswellas"instrumentalitiesoflearning"suchastextbooks,classroomsupplies,andcomputcrs.
14SInputs(andoutputs)shouldtakeintoconsiderationallaspectsofrcf(>rmandshouldnotbelimitedtomerelyacademicand/orfinancialISSUCS.
140.
C:zmp;~if{nfin·h1c:zlhJuin·,100N.
Y.
2dat909.
141.
ABFRl;}·:RFTi\1.
.
,.
llif'/';lllOtl"26.
142.
.
~(·cp;cncr:zlh·KOZOL,supnznotc46(discussing;vc1riousE1ctorsotherthanfunding;thatcontributetothequalitvofcduutionaschoolisabktoprovide).
143.
TEACHHlRAM.
,.
wpnznotc57.
144.
Ravitch,supr;~note96.
14S.
Czmp:u.
f:;nfi;rJrschoolsto"fin~1llyIgetItheresourcestheyneedtoaddresspasttlmdinginadequacies.
"147EBRA~Kcountabilitymeasuresweremeanttoensurethat"newresourcesreachthehighest-needstudentsinthelowcst-pcrf(>rmingschools,"14Xanatlirmativcactionthatwouldhelplessentheachievementgap.
149Whenexecutedcorrectly,theaccountabilitymeasuresalso"providethetransparencynecessarytodetermineifthestatedgoalsarcbeingachieved,"whichisanotherimportantsafeguardtohelpensurethatfundingisbeingspentappropriately.
'50CfE's"keyaccountabilitytool"istheContractf(>rExcellence("Contract")·'sITheContractprovideseachlow-perf(>rmingschooldistrictwithasubstantialt\mdingincrease.
Inexchange,theschoolisrequiredtosubmitaContractindicatinghowtheadditionalt\mdingwillbespentandwhatitwillaccomplish.
1S2TheuscoftheContr~Kthelpsensurethateducationrd(mllisnotderailedatanystagc.
153Thefederalgovernment,throughitsrdcm11initiatives,hastheabilitytomakeschoolsaccountable,aswell,throughasimilarlymodeledpn>gram.
Otheraccountabilitymeasuresinclude:RequiringtheBoardofRegentstodesignnewmeasuresf(>rschoolsuccessthatlookatyear-to-yeargrowthofindividualstudents;broadeningkeymeasurestoincludebctorssuchashighschoolgraduation,collegeenrollmentandgraduationratesinadditiontotestscores;requiringdistrictstoprovideclearint(mnationto146.
C1mpc1ignt(>rFiscalEquity,fmplcmcntatt(mandAn:ounta!
Jl!
in·.
OURWORK,http:/jwww.
ckquitv.
rg/static.
phppage=implcmentatitlnUbiIitv&Cltegorv=our_work(lastvisitedIke.
27,2012).
147.
ld14X.
ld149.
ld150.
!
d.
151.
ldIS2.
CampaigntrFiscalEquity,supr:Jnotc146.
IS3.
!
d.
116B.
Y.
U.
EDUCATION&LAWJOURNAL[2013parentsthroughschoolleadershipreportcardsandplainlanguagestudentprogressreportsthattrackyear-to-yearprogressonstatetests;andprovidinga"straightf(mvardwrittenexplanationaboutthesetests.
"I54AccountabilitymeasuresundertheContractsystemspeaktotheimportanceofcomprehensiveeducationrcf(mn.
Butmostofall,theContractprovidesstructureandguidelinesonwhichtobasetlrturceducationrd(xm.
Inordertoachievesuccessfulrcf(xm,resultsmustbecontrolledandquantified.
TheContractsystemallowsf(>rboth.
furtherresearchintotheContractsystemwouldbeasoundinvestmentfc>rfirturcrcfc>rmatthefederallevel.
Additionally,CfE'sgoalincludesguaranteeingthatNewYorkplaysanactiveroleinoverseeingitsrcf(xminitiatives.
ThisoversightincludesthedetailedreviewofproposedContractsaswell;lSthecontinuedmonitoringofContractsthathavepreviouslybeenapprovcd.
155Additionally,opencommunicationandcollaborationbetweentheNewYorkStateEducationDepartment,theCommissioner,andtheBoardofRegentsisacriticalcomplementtolocaldistrictctlorts.
156CfEreportsonNewYorkCity'sContractsarchelpingtoholdthecityaccountablef(>rallocatingitstimdsinaccordancewiththelaw-alongoverduenecessity.
Accountabilityiskeytoeducationrcfc>rm.
Byf(>llowingtheaccountabilityinitiativesofCfE,asucccssftdrcf(mncanbeimplementedonthefederallevel,aswell.
Holdingstatesresponsiblef(>rtheirpcrf(mnanccunderaccountabilityregulationswillhelpcounteracttheachievementgap.
I57Inadditiontoaccountabilityrcfc>rm,itisimportanttobasetlrturcrcfc>rmonprinciplesofadequacyandequity.
Bydoingso,educationrcf(mnwillbesucccssftdinitscHcxtstoclosetheachievementgap.
154.
!
d155.
!
d.
IS6.
!
d.
157.
ld11"RACETOTHETOP"117VI.
THEROADAHEAD:WHYPRINC:ll'LESOFADEQUACYANnEQUITYMUSTCONVERGEEquity-trm~mccdespiter-cccrvmgincreasedtlmds.
160Inotherwords,poorerschools~1reexpectedtoplaycatch-upwhilereceivingthesameleveloffi.
mding~1stheirwealthiercounterparts.
Inthisrespect,equ~1lizedfundingcontinuestoresultinunequaleducuionalopportunities.
I61AlthoughthenameCrErdkctstheorganization'smission,itdidnotwinincourtbasedonequity;CFEwononadequacybecausethestate'sconstitutionissilentonequity.
I62However,CfEacnDllystrivestolink~1dequacyandequityinanattempttodosetheachievementgap.
GloriaL1dson-Billings,aProfessorofUrbanEducationattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,analogizestheachievementgapissueineducationtothedebateconcerningtheUnitedStates'nationaldebtproblem.
Shepointsoutth~ltwhilepoliticalfiguresboast~1boutbudgetsthatdonotcontributetothecurrentnationaldebt,discussionsconcerningwaystorectifythedebtarcoftenoverlooked.
163Asimilarproblemexistsintheeducationftmdingcontext.
Evenwhenequalfundingisjudiciallymandatedinordertostopthewideningoftheachievementgap,poorerschoolscontinuetolagbehindwealthierschoolsbecausetheachievementgapisnotbeingdosed;itmerelyremainsstatic.
1MISl'.
Brian).
Nickerson&GerardM.
Dccnihan,hnmFquin·toAdcquan·:Thehp::1fH:1ttfefin-lncrc.
1sedSt:ltcFundinJ~oFJ'oor.
~dwolf)im·ictl·inNewYork,30l:'ORlll1.
\ivll.
JRB.
L.
j.
1341,13'12(2003).
IS9.
G!
on;lf:ulmn-!
lJ!
hilgsRckuncstheRau;11Adu(Tcmcnt(,;If',supr:1notc137.
160.
fd161.
KozoL,supranon:46,at214.
162.
Ell.
H\l:'OLFY,STL!
llENT-BASEilBL!
IX;ET!
N(;INTolKillTli'v!
ES:TilENE\VYoKK(:rrYEXI'FIUFNetlowerlocalpropertytaxrevenuesinsuchdistricts,providinglessst~lteaidtowealthierdistricts.
169Eventhoughcompleteequalityinti.
mdingislikelyunrealistic,especiallyasitisnotrequiredundermoststatecourtdecisions,170largedisparitiesinfi.
mding171betweenschooldistrictsmust,ata165.
Ko~:oL,supr;lnore46,at214.
166.
/d.
167.
!
d.
at54.
16H.
ldat120-21.
169.
!
d.
170.
SanAntonio1ndep.
Sch.
Dist.
v.
Rodriquez,411U.
S.
I(1973)(rejectingplaintitE'equalprotectionclaimunderthet:ourteenthAmendment,theSupremeCourtheldthateducationwasnotatimdamentalrightundertheConstitution.
Ittherd(m~heldthatdisparitiesintheprovisionofeducationservicesrsuchataxingmedunism.
Becausethelocalpropertvtaxsvstemhadaratione\Ibasis,intheviewoftheCourt,itwasnotunconstitutional).
171.
ValerieStrauss,Srud1·Sh01F1/)npJ)i'JJ;JJ-itic.
l1i1huu1Ii1pfi;r.
khoo/1,\VASil.
I'ws-deq>-disparities-i.
l1tml(describingthestudv"IsSchooll'undingt:air>ANationalReportCard,"whicht(nmd:(I)higher-timdedstn11onamoreequalplayingtlcld.
Equityandadequacygohand-in-handbecausethcvarcbothessentialclementsthatarcmissingfromcurrentreform.
Adequacyt(xuscsondefiningaminimumleveloffundingneededf()!
·studentstosucceed.
172Theproblemwithadequacyisthatthebariscurrentlysettoolow.
I73Adequacyguaranteeseverychildanequalminimum,notequality;Krosstheboard.
Yetifweprovideourchildrenwithmerely;lnadequateeducation,cannotweexpectonlyadequateandnotexcellentcitizens174Inordertoachieveexcellence,wemustdemandmorethanmereadequacy.
Equity,ontheotherhand,demandscquality.
I7SUsuallyequityisusedinreferencetofinancialcquality.
17(,Trueequity,however,ismorethanmerefinancialcquality.
I77Equityensuresthatallstudents,regardlessoftheirzipcode,l7Xhaveequalprospectsf()reducation-relatedsuccess.
Equitywithregardstothequalityofeducationastudentreceivesandequityinavailableresourcesarcbothimpcrativc.
I7rg/Educatiiicv.
htm/~air_~unding_t(Jr_the_(:ommmltimclnatirmathandbvathirdinreading").
IH6.
ABJ-:Rt;ERETAI.
.
,supr:znote26,at9(citingRichardKahlcnberg,RcscwizgBrownv.
BoardofEducation:l'rofilcsoFTwelve.
~d]()o/J)i,nia,·l'w:w1izgSoo(JcconomJ(·.
~dwollntrglpublicatirllcs.
pdf).
IR7.
!
d.
at30.
1]"RACETOTHETOP"121Theideaofeconomicintegrationisnotnovel,butitisextremelycontroversialandhasmetwithmuchresistance.
"IAIglaringproblemti·omapolicyperspectiveIisthebetthatIlow-incomehmilicstendtoliveinthesameneighborhoods,anddramaticallychanginghousingpatterns-orschool-zoningboundaries-asabrgc-sokrd!
:m11measureisimpractical,,aswellasimprobable.
'xx"Innunyofthesedistricts,thepovertyissowidespreadthemathematicsofeconomicintegrationdon'twork-therearcnotenoughnon-poorstudents.
,1Xll''-Srs.
ne,I.
edtJ/20I0/03/i11-r.
Ke·t·top·presidem·obamcl·takes.
html.
I'J3.
KozoL.
suponote46,.
1tI72.
I94.
''Theco,t-dkcti\T!
lessofsocioeconomicschoolintegrationIisIba,edonresclJ·chreg.
1rdingsegregation\dkctongradtutionrates,theeconomicpavoffofincreasedgr.
1duation,andthecostsofprogramsthatencouragebmiliestochoosetocrossneighborhoodborderstrtheirchildren\.
schooling.
Onthebcnditsside,Itheautho1·BasileItrcKelsIhowreducingsocioeconomicsegregationbvhalfwouldincrec1sethegradu.
1tionratebvtenpercentagepointscmdresultinapublicgc1in--thatis,thegain!
romincreasedtaxrevenuesplusthesa\·ingsti·omreducedspendingassociatedwithhealthcare,crime,andwelt:Jrc-ofmn$20,000perstudent.
Thetotalgc1inwhichincludesboththepublicgainaswellasincreasedprivatec1rning--i.
sestimatedataround533,000perstudent.
Onthecostside,IBasileIdrawlsIonstudiessuggestingthatmechanism'to.
KhiL·vevoluntaryimcgrationwouldraisetotalpublicschoolexpenditurectbouttenpercentandestimatethecostofaninterventionthath.
1lvedsocioeconomicsegrcgc1tionatjustunder$6,SOOperstudent.
Accordinglv.
theexpectedpublicrL·turnofsociocconomicallvintegratingaparticularsetof.
schoolsi.
sestimatedatmorerlunthreetimc.
sthecost,ctndthetotalreturnonthisinvestmentisestimatedtoexceedthecostsbv.
1bcrorofgreaterrlunlive.
Theseestimatesexcludelessungiblcbcndirstoourdemocracvti-on1gainsineducationalattainn1cntgenerallyandfron1sociocconon1icintegration">pecific;lll~:,suchcl'incro.
sedcivicparticipation.
"MARCOBASII.
F,TilECOSTEH'ITTI\'FNFS,',OFSoCIOH'ONOMIrRlTT,thefederalgovernmentwillbeplayingakeyroleinwhatevereducationrdl:m11occursinthefi1turc.
Todate,theObamaadministrationhas,throughitssupportofcharterschoolsandothercfl(>rtsunderR'ITT,stayedawayfromtheissueofreducingthenumberofhigh-povertyschoolsviaintegration.
However,thefederalgovernment,workingtogetherwithstates,hasthepowertotakeavitalsteptowardeliminatingtheachievementgapthroughresearch-basedinitiativesf(Kuscdoneconomicintegration.
VII.
CONCLUSION"IWlcarcatauniquemomentineducationrcf(xmintheUnitcdStates.
ThefederalgovernmentispreparedtoIallocateanunprecedentedleveloftlmdingf(>rItargetedrdl:m11s.
"Irminitiativesmissthemark.
Statesshouldnotbepittedagainsteachotherinacompetitiveracetoreceivefederaltlmding.
Rather,federalflmdingshouldbeotlcrcdequally,basedonneedandutilizingincentivestlutstronglyencouragestatestocontributetotheeliminationoftheachievementgap.
Itiscriticalthatthefederalapproachtothisissuebebasedonincentivesandchoiceasopposedtocoercionandcompetition.
Thefederalgovernmentshouldlooktostate-levelrcfcmnf(>rguidance.
Afterall,educationpolicyislargelyletttothestates,astheyarcseenasclosertothepcople.
196AsthefederaladministrationandCongresscontinuetoimplementneweducationrd(mnprograms,specificandtargetedstrategiesf(>eusingontheprinciplesencompassingNewYorkState'sCFErdcmncff(>rt,inconjunctionwiththeprinciplesofeconomicintegration,shouldbercsc~1rchcdandimplementedinordertomeetthenation'sgoalofclosingtheachievementgapf()rlow-incomesnKicnts.
Thefederalgovernmentshould,liketheCfE,createequitableandadequatefl.
mding.
Tofldtillthisgoal,thegovernmentmustbewillingtoadoptapolicyofanalyzingandf(>eusingoninputs(whilehttp://tcf.
org/publications/pdfs/Marco_l'uturcSchclois.
pdt/++atticld++tile.
195.
ABERc;ERET1\l.
.
,supr:1note26,clt24.
I96.
Spellings,supunoteI9.
ll"RACETOTHETOP"stilltakingoutputsintoconsideration)inordertoimplementpoliciesthatwillclosetheachievementgap.
Thegovernmentshouldalsouscadequateaccountabilitymeasures,asdemonstratedbyCfE.
Inequityinschoolhmdingmustberemediedinorderforthecurrentcducltioncastesystemtobeabolished.
Allstudentsshouldhaveaccesstotheresourcestheyneedtoreceiveameaningfuleducation,rcg~1rdlcssoftheirzipcode.
!
'>7CzssandraAbbott*I97.
TFArtheirc·lltinucd-'lll'f">rtin.
dlof111\'emka\·ors.