In an effort to reduce state spending on special education in public schools, New Jersey moved to census-based funding as part of the new school funding formula, the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), adopted in 2008. The census approach funds all districts using the statewide average classification rate and a statewide average "excess…

The primary source of federal aid to elementary and secondary education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)--particularly its Title I-A program, which authorizes federal aid for the education of disadvantaged students. The ESEA was initially enacted in 1965 (P.L. 89- 10) "to strengthen and improve educational quality and…

In the UK, education is the third largest area of government spending (of which school spending has the largest share). Since 2000, school expenditure has increased by about 40 per cent in real terms for both primary and secondary schools (see Figure 1). The question as to whether such investment is worthwhile is of central importance. The…

This review and comparison of census data on the distribution among states of school-age children in poor families for 1990 and 1980 explores implications in the changes for Chapter 1 funding and administration. Numbers of school-age children in poor families represent the primary factor in the allocation of most funds under the federal Elementary…

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…