1. Defining Equality of Educational Opportunity for New Jersey. A Report of the New Jersey Educational Reform Project.
- Author
-
Barnes, Barbara
- Abstract
A discussion of the concept of equality as it relates to educational opportunities in New Jersey and as it has been interpreted both historically and in the present day setting, is the focus of this paper. The notion of equality and equal opportunity has been a part of American history from the beginning. Although throughout history many people have believed that equal educational opportunity existed and those who were not successful had only themselves to blame, this myth has been at least to some extent discredited by the Court's argument in the Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Today, the meaning of the concept equal educational opportunity for the schools and for society is a subject of considerable debate and controversy. Some argue that equal per pupil expenditure or tax base equalization will bring about reform, while others suggest this is not enough and subscribe to a definition of equal educational opportunity as equality in terms of educational resources. Others espouse the belief that equal educational opportunity means that the average and the range of distribution in school achievement should ultimately be the same for all social groups. The meaning of equal opportunity in education regarding the nature of the opportunities themselves is an area of concern for New Jersey closely related to the question of finance and resource distribution. It is concluded that assessing the needs of all children and providing the resources to enable all to function effectively in society should be an important objective of current educational policy. (Author/AM)
- Published
- 1974