Courting Failure examines the issues involved in school funding adequacy in light of recent court cases and shows that judicial actions regarding school finance—related to either equity or adequacy—have not had a beneficial effect on student performance. The expert contributors explain why low achievement is not inevitable for disadvantaged students and why school resources are not the dominant factor in whether students “beat the odds.” They show that cost studies on the price of an adequate education turn out to be more politics than science. And they tell how many districts often do not spend the funds they have in the manner need. CONTENTS   IntroductionEric A. Hanushek xiii 1. Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. New York: The March of FollySol Stern 1 2. The Legal Backdrop to AdequacyAlfred A. Lindseth 33 3. High-Poverty, High-Performance Schools, Districts, and StatesHerbert J. Walberg 79 4. High-Spending, Low-Performing School DistrictsWilliamson M. Evers and Paul Clopto 103 5. Thorough and Efficient Private and Public SchoolsPaul E. Peterson 195 6. How Can Anyone Say What’s Adequate If Nobody Knows How Money Is Spent Now?Marguerite Roza and Paul T. Hill 235 7. Science Violated: Spending Projections and the “Costing Out” of an Adequate EducationEric A. Hanushek 257 8. Adequacy beyond Dollars: The Productive Use of School TimeE. D. Hirsch Jr. 313 9. Funding for PerformanceA Policy Statement of the Koret Task Force 329   Index 357