This year is the 40th anniversary of the passage of Public Law 94-142--most commonly known as the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The law not only changed the way that students with disabilities are educated in this country, it also fundamentally changed the way that states fund their K-12 education programs. This ECS…

The author reports on the federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 in which President Barack Obama singled out education as an area crucial to the country's economic future. He called for bolstering programs he deems critical to his vision for a renewed Elementary and Secondary Education Act and proposed new ones in research, early-childhood…

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Act commits $100 billion to education, with $8.5 billion allocated to California. Education programs to receive funding through ARRA include Local Education Agency Title I Grants, Educational Technology Grants, IDEA Grants, Federal…

Two years ago, the problems of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) were so significant that many believed the system was beyond repair. According to the 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), only eight percent of eighth graders were on grade level in math, and 12 percent were in reading. With achievement gaps between…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provides $70.3 billion for three education programs--the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Title I), and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Act requires recipients to be accountable for how these funds…

The overarching goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 are to immediately stimulate the economy in the short term and to invest in education and other essential public services that will ensure the long-term economic health of this nation. The United States Education Department (USED) offers guiding principles to be…

This report argues that advance appropriations serve no functional purpose for schools, but they create a loss of transparency, comparability, and simplicity in federal education budgeting. It allocates spending before future budgets have been established. The approach was originally used to skirt spending limits and budget procedures in place…

Reviews major changes for school districts under the reauthorized 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments. The new amendments allow disabled children to be disciplined more effectively, require individual education plans to include a student-evaluation component, limit district responsibility for attorney fees, encourage…

Reviews two approaches to educational finance reform: one state-initiated (Indiana's 1993 problem-driven school-funding formula), the other federally initiated (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Applies lessons from these two approaches to current state efforts to reform local public schools. (Contains 16 references.) (PKP)

This paper examines the relationship between special education fiscal policies and the least restrictive environment (LRE) requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It focuses on the need to develop federal and state fiscal policies that achieve a balance between the sometimes competing needs of the LRE and the…

The Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF)--housed in the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and one of several research centers funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education--provides policymakers and administrators at all governmental levels with data, analyses, expertise, and opportunities to…