Our Shared Inheritance: The Promise of Education in Every State

Each state in the union has outlined their own set of foundational liberties, rights, and opportunities that guide the everyday lives of generations to come. Though each state contains its own distinct set of obligations for its respective government, there are common threads, and an important commonality is that of education. In all 50 states, each constitution establishes the promise of an education for each of its residents and cements the importance of access to learning into their founding documents.

To explore this principle and discuss the historical context and implications of a state government’s obligation to provide education, an expert in constitutional law joins us at The Board Table. Our guest, Derek Black, is a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law where he is also the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law and directs the law school’s Constitutional Law Center. A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, he has published extensive research that has been cited by federal courts and various briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has written multiple books on the subject of education and law.

For more information on Derek Black, visit derekwblack.com.

NCSBA is the professional organization that represents local boards of education in North Carolina. It is a member-driven association that supports the school governance team—school board members, superintendents, senior administrative staff and board assistants—in its complex leadership role. We help develop, communicate, and advocate for the perspective of North Carolina school districts.

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