Adequacy and Equity

One of the central debates on how to properly fund schools is this: Which is a more effective goal, adequacy or equity? And a corollary: Is there somewhere in between?

Adequacy refers to the need for just enough funding to allow students to achieve. It's a market-driven ideal contingent on effective, standardized testing to determine how well a given school district's students are performing and what level of funding is necessary to achieve prescribed guidelines.

Equity, meanwhile, provides that each student in each school district should receive the same amount of funding and thus-in theory-have access to the same resources.

Texas ' school funding system is in somewhat of a transition. The "Robin Hood" mechanism currently in place is designed to promote equity, but programs like "No Child Left Behind," along with standardized tests like TAKS, provide a framework for implementing a more adequacy-based school funding system.

As Texas legislators and stakeholders continue to find a middle ground that incorporates both of these concepts with the ultimate goal that students across Texas be treated fairly.