Spring 2008 Course Description
Advanced Topics in Public Policy
| Section Title: |
Equal Educational Opportunity ? the Policies and Politics of School Finance Equity |
| Instructor(s): |
Debra Haas |
| Course: |
P A 388K - Advanced Topics in Public Policy
(previously Seminar in Topics in Public Policy) |
| Unique Number: |
64335 |
| Day & Time: |
Mondays, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Room: |
SRH 3.103 |
| Waitlist Information: | For LBJ Students: UT Waitlist Information
For Non LBJ Students: LBJ School Waitlist Instructions |
This course fulfills requirements for the following specialization(s):
Description: This course will review issues related to public education policy related to equity and finance from the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case through the recently decided busing cases of Meredith v. Jefferson County and Parents v. Seattle School District No. 1.
The course will cover the development and evolution of the concept of ?equal educational opportunity? including ?equity?, ?adequacy?, and ?efficiency? as they relate to the funding of public elementary and secondary education.
Students will use a variety of resources including texts, legal briefs and court decisions, legislative and executive study reports, state and federal statutes, and information from public school databases to develop and understanding of the history and current status of public education finance.
The course will focus primarily on Texas, but will also examine significant events at the national level and in other states.
Course Content: The course will consist of two sections, each with a different policy related assignment.
The first half of the course will be devoted to a historical review the evolution of the concept of equal education under the law, and cover major policy issues that arose from Brown v. Board of Education (1950?s) to Serrano and Rodriguez (1970?s). This portion of the course will focus on concepts including:
- Separate but Equal
- Equal Rights to Education under Federal Law
- The return of the question to state courts.
The second section will look at the cases and policy analysis questions that arose after the Supreme Court failed to declare a federal right to equal education under the Fourteenth Amendment and turned the question back to state legislatures. Concepts addressed in this portion of the course will include:
Whose Equity Is It?
- Taxpayer Equity - District Power Equalization/Foundation School Program
- Student Equity - Funding based on variations in student needs
Who Pays For It?
- State versus local control of and responsibility for funding
- The evolution of the relationship between student performance (testing) and educational equality
Issues in Texas
- Understanding the structure of the equalized system of school finance in Texas.
- Understanding the concept of ?efficiency? in public education as defined by student performance.
New questions for the Brown legacy
- Meredith v. Jefferson County
- Parents v. Seattle School District No. 1
Student Assignments and Grades: The first assignment (due after we have read and discussed Simple Justice ? 5 to 6 weeks into class) will be 7-10 page policy brief explaining the evolution of the concept of equal education under the law. The brief will be written from the standpoint of a policy staff person writing for a decision-maker.
The second assignment (due prior to final exam period) will be a policy memo detailing key points and outcomes of the legislation and court cases that form the basis for modifying or restructuring the school finance system to meet judicial standards.
Student grades will be based on the quality of the completed assignments (each will be worth 35%) and the remaining 30% will be based on class attendance and participation. Because of the nature of the course, attendance will be required and class participation will be essential to a successful outcome for all students.
Reading and Study Materials: Required Textbooks:
Courts as Catalysts - Matthew Bosworth
Simple Justice - Richard Kluger
Books have been ordered and will be available at the Co-op East.
Other Course materials will be posted on the class Blackboard site.
Return to Spring 2008 Course Schedule
