The Congressional Failure to Enforce Equal Protection Through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Boston University Law Review, Vol. 90, p. 313, 2010

62 Pages Posted: 13 Oct 2011

See all articles by Derek W. Black

Derek W. Black

University of South Carolina - School of Law

Date Written: October 13, 2011

Abstract

This article addresses whether Congress has an obligation pursuant to the Equal Protection Clause to further equal protection and, if so, whether its current education funding mechanisms violate that obligation. The article argues that Congress’s responsibility under the 14th Amendment is neither mandatory, nor entirely discretionary, but rather includes a duty to act in good faith in enforcing equal protection, which, at the very least, prohibits Congress from actively undermining equal protection. Federal funding of education, while previously consistent with this 14th Amendment duty, has come to undermine equality in education, primarily because it has lost its focus on equality and, instead, attempted to further education reform agendas. The article analyzes the various details of how federal funds are distributed, how they are inconsistent with equal protection, and how the problems can be remedied. By doing so, this article is the first connect equal protection with federal funding and establish an obligation for Congress to ensure certain types of school equity.

Keywords: school funding, school equity, equal protection, education policy, Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, federal education funding

Suggested Citation

Black, Derek W., The Congressional Failure to Enforce Equal Protection Through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (October 13, 2011). Boston University Law Review, Vol. 90, p. 313, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1943557

Derek W. Black (Contact Author)

University of South Carolina - School of Law ( email )

1525 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29208
United States

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