Introduction

Abstract

In the past three decades, Congress and the courts have used the terms "equality,""equity," "appropriateness," and "adequacy" in an effort to define the legal contours of the right to educational services at the public expense of a population of children with diverse backgrounds, needs, abilities, and disabilities. In fact, these concepts have become a significant part of the daily lives of educators and now serve as the rationale underlying many of their administrative decisions. A declining economy, coupled with increased public dissatisfaction with the performance of the educational system, a political shift to the right, and federal withdrawal from appropriation and regulation under the New Federalism are forcing the educational establishment to redefine these concepts in light of present realities.