Rhetorical Analysis of Laura Lefkowits: School finance
Rhetorical Analysis of Laura Lefkowits: School finance
In “School finance: From Equity to Adequacy,” a publication funded in part from the U.S Department of Education, Laura Lefkowits, a senior director of policy initiatives at a private education research and development corporation addresses the inadequate school finances. Appeals to logos, rhetorical questions, and history examples in the form of litigations are some techniques Lefkowits examines in funding inequities within the public education system, briefly looking at key cases that shaped policy and then recommending solutions to reduce litigation and expensive solutions. The author begins her main argument with a brief history lesson, informing readers the events that have shaped our system today. Serrano v. Priest determined that using district property tax revenues as the primary source of funding for schools was unconstitutional, noting: “this disparity in available resources per student was deemed inequitable, and therefore, unconstitutional.” Lefkowits also denotes San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, in which the Supreme Court ruled that education and school taxation are state matters.
The usage of historical litigations serves several purposes. First, Lefkowits employs Serrano V. Priest litigation as a supporting detail of his assertion that people started going to court after realizing that it was constitutionally right for them to have the right public education. Secondly, the author helps us understand the establishment of the states power to regulate taxation and educational reforms using the example case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriquez. Although this case was an ineffective attempt in proposing inadequate school funding, it was the inauguration of state power. As Lefkowits explains, “In this case, the U.S Supreme Court held that although education is one of the most important state services, it is not “within the limited category of rights
In “School finance: From Equity to Adequacy,” a publication funded in part from the U.S Department of Education, Laura Lefkowits, a senior director of policy initiatives at a private education research and development corporation addresses the inadequate school finances. Appeals to logos, rhetorical questions, and history examples in the form of litigations are some techniques Lefkowits examines in funding inequities within the public education system, briefly looking at key cases that shaped policy and then recommending solutions to reduce litigation and expensive solutions. The author begins her main argument with a brief history lesson, informing readers the events that have shaped our system today. Serrano v. Priest determined that using district property tax revenues as the primary source of funding for schools was unconstitutional, noting: “this disparity in available resources per student was deemed inequitable, and therefore, unconstitutional.” Lefkowits also denotes San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, in which the Supreme Court ruled that education and school taxation are state matters.
The usage of historical litigations serves several purposes. First, Lefkowits employs Serrano V. Priest litigation as a supporting detail of his assertion that people started going to court after realizing that it was constitutionally right for them to have the right public education. Secondly, the author helps us understand the establishment of the states power to regulate taxation and educational reforms using the example case of San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriquez. Although this case was an ineffective attempt in proposing inadequate school funding, it was the inauguration of state power. As Lefkowits explains, “In this case, the U.S Supreme Court held that although education is one of the most important state services, it is not “within the limited category of rights