Reviews recent state and federal rural school funding litigation. Concludes that while rural school advocates have been relatively successful in the courts, efforts to obtain adequate state funding for rural schools through the legislative process are only partially successful. (Contains 16 references.)(PKP)

During the last 12 months, the highest courts in 5 states have issued opinions on the constitutionality of their public school funding systems. Briefly reviews decisions and discusses possible future directions of this litigation based on an analysis of the 3 decades of litigation since "Serrano v. Priest" (1971). (Contains 11…

State supreme court opinions between 1971 and 1991 were analyzed under a model framework that outlined state court school funding litigation, including jurisdictional, factual, legal, and judicial policy issues. (126 footnotes) (MLF)

Reviews state school-funding litigation since the California Supreme Court's 1971 decision in "Serrano v. Priest." Assesses the impact and evolution of state funding litigation; discusses the subsequent erosion of local control; describes potential future funding litigation involving rural schools, local sales taxes, and urban schools.…

Responds to an article by Mark Jaffee and Kenneth Kersch published in the Summer 1991 issue of the "Journal of Law and Education." Argues that the judicial role is often necessary but not sufficient to achieve fiscal equity and that, ultimately, the electorate must be educated and persuaded of the value of public school funding reform.…

Examines school-funding equity litigation concerning rural schools, effects of political power on rural funding, rural and urban competition for funding, unique funding problems of rural schools, the growing threat to equity posed by sales-tax funding schemes, and future funding-litigation strategies for rural schools. Tables list relevant federal…