This policy brief on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is based on March 2002, discussions involving chief state school officers and state directors of special education from five Western states and staff of Western educational research and policy organizations. It focuses on those issues that are…

IDEA Part B funds have more than doubled between the 1999 and 2003 fiscal years, from $4.3 billion to $8.9 billion. This is an increase from 8% to 13% of total special education spending. Increases in federal funds can theoretically support "program growth" by providing fiscal relief to states and districts facing rising special…

Adequacy lawsuits have, with little fanfare, emerged as a major alternative strategy in the pursuit of improved public education in the United States. Plaintiffs allege insufficient resources to provide students with the quality of education promised in their state's constitution, hoping the courts will step in and order the state to increase…

Cites the daunting need for school construction and repair funds. Explains how the federal Qualified Zone Academy Bonds and the America's Better Classrooms Act allow certain schools to finance the renovating and/or equipping of school facilities on an interest-free basis through the allocation of federal tax credits. Tables list the state…

In this article, the author discusses the impact brought about by the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) on school funding. Because of changes in the funding formulas, most of the increased funding will go to districts in which the highest number of poor children reside. Districts which are less impacted by poverty will lose funding. The…

Perhaps the most ambitious example of the way in which flexibility and accountability have been brought together can be found in the State Flex and Local Flex demonstration programs. Although no additional resources are provided to participating states and districts, the enhanced flexibility granted under State Flex and Local Flex allows…

This report details a project to develop a system to distribute federal funds under the Education Amendments of 1976 to all eligible recipients on the basis of annual applications. The first section describes the pertinent federal and state legislation, project scope, and guidelines used to develop the new system. Data sources and the criteria…

This report responds to Delaware state legislation requiring the development of proposed revised regulations for the classification of students as learning disabled (LD). The report first describes the current system, noting that in 1997 15 percent of the student population were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and over…

From Fiscal Year (FY) 1967 through FY 1974, the allocation for each state's Title I migrant education grant was determined through a formula utilizing estimates of the migratory agricultural labor population of each state. Until the Migrant Student Record Transfer System was fully validated in FY 1975, there were no totally reliable counts of…

Flexibility is a lever for change that occupies an increasingly prominent place in federal strategies for educational improvement. Flexibility assumes that local actors are in the best position to identify the most serious problems facing schools and students and to determine how to solve them. Consequently, these actors should be given greater…

This policy analysis examines how states are implementing the substantially changed requirements relating to the distribution of federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Part B funds (Sections 611 and 619) as set forth in regulations issued in 1999. Interviews were conducted with nine state education agencies (SEAs) on the effect…

These hearings before the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform address the issue of whether the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is working as Congress intended. First, an introduction by the Chairman, Dan Burton, notes the difficulties that parents are having in accessing appropriate public education. Next are…

Five years ago the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) launched a revolution in our education system by insisting that all students should be proficient in reading and math by 2014 and demanding comprehensive reforms to reach this national goal, including strong assessment and accountability systems, a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, more…

According to the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997), education of disabled children should produce outcomes akin to those expected of "regular" students, and disabled students should be educated with other kids. Implementing inclusive programs will require visionary leadership, educator collaboration,…

This study of the financing of special education programs for children with disabilities or giftedness/talent was mandated by the legislature of Nevada to: (1) examine the amount of federal, state, and local money expended for special education programs and the proportion of total funding for special education programs provided from each source;…