Legacy Focus Areas
These areas reflect the foundational work of the Center and continue to inform our broader vision. Our legacy focus areas—School Funding Equity and Civic Education—have shaped our commitment to fairness and democratic preparation in public schooling. While no longer the central thrust of our agenda, we remain committed to supporting partners and policy efforts that build on this important groundwork.
ACE School Funding Project
The Center for Educational Equity and the American Institutes for Research are launching a project to advance the development of a constitutional school funding formula for New York State to replace the current 18-year old Foundation Aid formula, which is outdated and unconstitutional. Our Adequate, Constitutional, Equitable (ACE) School Funding Project will conduct an independent study to begin a process to develop a new formula that will fulfill the state’s constitutional obligation to provide our students sufficient resources each year to truly meet their educational needs.
School Funding Equity
Overview
Our work on school funding equity has shaped state and national conversations about how education dollars are distributed and how they can better reflect students’ needs.
Past Contributions
- Legal research and amicus briefs in major funding cases
- Reports on the impact of regressive vs. progressive funding formulas
- Advocacy support for grassroots school funding campaigns
Ongoing Relevance
- We continue to monitor and advise on fiscal equity issues as they intersect with democratic governance and community voice.
Related Projects
- School Spending Innovation Project
- Participatory budgeting research
Civic Education
Overview
CEE has a long-standing commitment to ensuring that public education prepares students for active, informed participation in democracy.
Why It Matters
- Thought leadership on civic learning standards
- Research on the civic mission of schools
- Support for policy implementation of the NYS Seal of Civic Readiness
Current Status
- Civic education now embedded within our broader democracy work
- Insights from past civic ed work inform current programs like Making Democracy Real and Connecting Classrooms to Congress