David Sciarra has practiced civil rights law since 1978. From 1996 to 2023, he served as Executive Director of Education Law Center (ELC), leading ELC’s efforts to enforce the legal right to public education in New Jersey and across the nation. During his tenure at ELC, he was lead counsel for the urban school children in New Jersey’s landmark Abbott v. Burke case, securing groundbreaking rulings on school funding, preschool, school facilities, and resource equity. Sciarra is an expert in education law and school finance and related education equity litigation. He served on the U.S. Department of Education’s Commission on Education Equity and Excellence, is the co-author of Making the Grade, How Fair is School Funding in Your State?, and has published numerous articles on education finance, early education, and education law and policy.

LPI Senior Fellows are invited based on their demonstrated expertise in the field and engagement with LPI’s mission to advance equitable, high-quality education through nonpartisan, evidence-based research. Beyond their collaborative efforts with LPI, the views and opinions expressed by LPI Senior Fellows are their own and do not reflect those of the institute.