DIFFERENTIAL REGULATION - CLEVER CUSTOMIZATION OR UNEQUAL INTERFERENCE

When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditu res between rich and poor school districts, it increased regulatory ov ersight of its 30 poorest districts. This article describes that overs ight system and the additional burdens it created for those districts. It also explores the political context that contributed to new regula tion and the past abuses that it was expected to correct. The article concludes that the new system was moderately effective in improving th e performance of those districts. However, it questions the use of an input criterion rather than performance for determining which district s should undergo oversight.