June 08, 2014
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Inequitable education class actions are not new. For decades, many states have been sued for not giving low-income children the opportunities provided in affluent communities. But this suit is different. Previous class actions focused on inadequate funds, teacher quality, facilities and materials, such as textbooks. This suit is about insufficient and inequitable time for learning. Stanford University economist Eric Hanushek, who chronicled unequal education suits in his book “Schoolhouses, Courthouses, and Statehouses,” said this complaint is “something new” that focuses on “what the students are getting in the classroom.
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