ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

Richard Elliott Day

The Graduate School

University of Kentucky

2003

EACH CHILD, EVERY CHILD:
THE STORY OF THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION,
EQUITY AND ADEQUACY IN KENTUCKY’S SCHOOLS

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ABSTRACT OF Dissertation
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A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the 
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the
College of Education
at the University of Kentucky

By
Richard Elliott Day

Lexington, Kentucky

Director:  Dr. Susan Scollay, Associate Professor of Administration and Supervision
Lexington, Kentucky
2003

Copyright  Richard Elliott Day 2003

ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

             EACH CHILD, EVERY CHILD:
       THE STORY OF THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION,
                       EQUITY AND ADEQUACY IN KENTUCKY’S SCHOOLS

		Support for an efficient system of common schools has been a serious problem throughout Kentucky’s history.  The General Assembly has been content to allow Kentucky’s schools to rank among the lowest in the nation.  This study attempts to put the current struggle for adequately funded public schools into an historical context, focusing on the Kentucky Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Rose v. Council for Better Education.  The study examines this decision in light of present efforts to define and assure a proficient education for each and every child.
		The activities of the Council for Better Education were part of a national effort to determine a set of judicially manageable standards for equitable and adequate school funding.  This study chronicles the activities of the Council for Better Education from its inception in 1984 through 1993 as Kentucky sought to implement a new system of common schools.  This study provides some insight into the effort required to bring about this historic result and reveals the legislature’s adoption of the Kentucky Education Reform Act as the singular event it is – a true exception in Kentucky’s long history of modest support for its schools.
		Chapter One provides contextual information, and the author’s perspective, while introducing related topics of law, racial inequality and political culture.  Chapter Two examines the history of school funding and equity in Kentucky.  Chapter Three chronicles Council for Better Education activities.  Chapter Four outlines the legal strategy employed by the attorneys.  Chapter Five looks at the case from the point of view of Chief Justice Robert F. Stephens and explores legislative reaction to the Rose Opinion.  Chapter Six looks at the impact of advocacy groups, the Press, and Council efforts during the early days of KERA.  Chapter Seven is an analysis of critical factors that contributed to the Council’s success including case law, judicial activism, political culture, advocacy coalitions, the press and governmental branches.  The Epilogue is a reflection on the potential implications of Rose v. Council to Kentucky’s public schools today.
		Rose v. Council for Better Education can best be seen as a pioneering effort to alter Kentucky’s history, and as a move toward more social justice and economic prosperity for all children of the Commonwealth.   

KEYWORDS: Rose v. Council for Better Education, School finance, Efficient system of common schools, Equity, Adequacy.

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                                (Student’s Signature)
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(Date)

EACH CHILD, EVERY CHILD:
THE STORY OF THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION,
EQUITY AND ADEQUACY IN KENTUCKY’S SCHOOLS

By

Richard Elliott Day

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                                                                               Director of Dissertation

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                                                                                  Director of Graduate Studies 

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RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS

Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be use only with due regard to the rights of the authors.  Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments.

Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky.

A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user.

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EACH CHILD, EVERY CHILD:
THE STORY OF THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION,
EQUITY AND ADEQUACY IN KENTUCKY’S SCHOOLS

Richard Elliott Day

The Graduate School

University of Kentucky

2003

EACH CHILD, EVERY CHILD:
THE STORY OF THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION,
EQUITY AND ADEQUACY IN KENTUCKY’S SCHOOLS

________________________________________

Dissertation
________________________________________

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the 
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the 
College of Education
 at the University of Kentucky

By
Richard Elliott Day

Lexington, Kentucky

Director:  Dr. Susan Scollay, Associate Professor of Administration and Supervision
Lexington, Kentucky
2003

Copyright  2003 by Richard Elliott Day
All rights reserved

DEDICATION

To all of Kentucky’s children
 and those educators 
who have dedicated themselves to 
the proficient education of each and every child.