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Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

Date

2024

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of efforts to secure a federal right to education, highlighting the unsuccessful attempts at the federal level and the shift to state constitutional litigation, which has yielded mixed and limited outcomes. Part I outlines these failed efforts and their consequences. Part II introduces Professor Black’s proposal for a federal right to education, anchored in the State Citizenship Clause. Part III presents a new federalism model that suggests federal constitutional commitments should guide the interpretation of state constitutional provisions, particularly regarding education. The article concludes by advocating for state courts to adopt a more robust interpretation of state education clauses, ensuring a minimum standard of adequacy and equity in educational guarantees, in alignment with Professor Black’s vision for a federal right to education.

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