Courts have been reluctant to fully embrace free exercise or equal protection claims of school choice advocates, but recent rulings may have permanently reversed that trend, potentially compelling governments to provide substantially more resources to parochial schools than ever before. The first section of this article summarizes the origin of…

In California, a half century after the landmark "Serrano v. Priest" decision overturning the state's public school finance system because of the inequality between the state's school districts, a significant amount of wealth-based inequality in per-pupil expenditures continues to exist. One of the sources of this inequality is the…

Proposals granting tuition tax relief to patrons of private elementary and secondary schools have resurfaced as a prominent policy alternative. This paper reviews the tuition-tax-credit deduction policy debate, synthesizes information concerning probable costs and consequences, discusses effects on fundamental social values, and highlights…

Reviews U.S. Supreme Court action concerning governmental aid to sectarian schools, highlighting the First Amendment establishment clause, the child benefit doctrine, the Tripartite Test (1970-1984), and the recent Ball and Felton cases. The court is continuously pressured to reassess its precedents requiring strict neutrality toward religion.…

Examines the cost effectiveness of New Jersey's tuition reimbursement plan for 10-month private school programs for handicapped students, using multiple regression techniques. The study found accounting inconsistencies correctable by organizing an actual cost model that requires pricing of program needs, system cost projections, and a site-based…

Reviews the fiscal effects on 28 of the largest U.S. school districts of the shift in federal funding of education from categorical aid to block grants. Focuses on the longitudinal pattern of funding, the status of desegregation efforts, and the level of participation of private school students. (PGD)

The U.S. Supreme Court through its interpretation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause may ultimately determine whether state-funded voucher proposals are widely adopted. This paper overviews changes in Establishment-Clause doctrine, reviews relevant litigation, and explores potential implications of recent legal developments. (Contains 80…

Discusses (1) the history of state financial aid to independent colleges and universities; (2) constitutional issues affecting such aid; and (3) several types of aid programs in existence, particularly nonneed-based tuition grants. Speculates on the future of such aid. (MCG)

Reviews recent state and federal court decisions dealing with issues relevant to educational finance. Within the broad area of elementary-secondary education, specific cases involve school tax assessments, allocation of state school aid, school tax levy elections, and public support of a private segregated school. (JG)

Although schooling in Australia has been traditionally the responsibility of the states, increased specific grant funding, based on fiscal performance equalization, has led to a more active role for the Australian federal government in influencing education outcomes. A possible consequence is a loss in diversity of the educational system.(TE)

Explains variations in per pupil expenditures among school boards in Ontario, Canada, using the "median voter model," which compares consumer behavior with government funding actions. With an inequitable tax price an important policy variable, the school grant program needs redesigning to achieve equity without sacrificing efficiency.…