“Mr. Rebell has a brilliant legal mind and a tremendous heart for children, particularly those who have been poorly served by public education. He challenges all of us to think differently, and to do so with a sense of urgency, because our children cannot wait.”

Arne Duncan, former CEO, Chicago Public Schools

“Courts and Kids is an original and useful contribution to the debate over courts and education reform. Writing with the knowledge and experience of someone who has participated in these cases, Rebell provides a detailed outline for what courts should do and how they should do it, and he offers a vigorous defense of court involvement and of school finance litigation in general.  At a time when many are questioning the efficacy of litigation to spark social change, Rebell’s defense of school finance litigation is a refreshing and provocative counterweight.”

James E. Ryan, William L. Matheson & Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia

“Having devoted his professional life to the pursuit of educational equity through court litigation, Michael Rebell speaks with a special authority about how the long battle has been waged and what its fruits have been. One need not agree with him on all points—and I don’t—to learn from his almost four decades on the barricades battling for greater court-mandated opportunities for school kids. His book provides a vivid brain scan of how a fine activist lawyer thinks about an urgent social problem.”

Peter H. Schuck, Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law, Yale University

"Rebell advances an interesting conceptual model for progressive efforts toward achieving equal educational opportunity in US schools. . . . Given that the subject matter of this text is often an issue of contention, readers’ perspectives and ideologies will be challenged and expanded by the book."

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