Cities and school districts across the Commonwealth and country are seeking to combine the benefits of both community- and school-based early childhood programs through a "mixed-delivery model." In a mixed-delivery model, school districts shoulder the administrative burden of federal and state grants, subcontract a number of their seats…

This document outlines strategies and guidance on collaborative funding strategies and mechanisms, including braided funding, to create and sustain high-quality inclusive regular early childhood settings that are inclusive of preschool children with disabilities. The use of federal funds is outlined specific to supporting young children with…

School breakfast is associated with a host of positive outcomes, such as improved health and attendance, reduced behavioral problems, and increased academic achievement. Unfortunately, a majority of Washington students who qualify for free or reduced-price breakfasts do not currently receive one at school, with many students eating no breakfast at…

In 2009 the Obama administration announced a focused commitment to turn around 5,000 of the United States' chronically lowest-performing public schools as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This commitment came with $3 billion in funding for the School Improvement Grant program, or SIG, along with new guidelines to ensure…

Over the last decade, Colorado has emerged as a national leader in crafting innovative solutions for challenges facing its public school system. From implementing the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reforms to more recent legislation including standards and assessments for a preschool-through-college…

In 1997, New York State lawmakers passed the Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) legislation, a bold new approach to early childhood education. It established new part-day Pre-K programs that were free and open to all four-year-olds. Today, the state invests $414 million annually in Pre-K, which serves more than 100,000 children in public schools and…

Allocation of a lump sum appropriation among seven colleges and universities in a single system can often be a source of wide dissention. Institutions in Oregon have achieved consensus on a budget allocation model that rests on recent advances in cost analysis. The model allocates funds on an equal basis for each major discipline and by level of…

The higher education appropriations cycle in Michigan is described with focus on whether the present system is fair and equitable. Two general conclusions are drawn: (1) There is strong evidence that the present system of allocating state funds for the operation of higher education institutions is not equitable in terms of support for comparable…

In the last 10 years student financial aid has been characterized by a surge of enormous growth that has been both rapid and largely uncoordinated. The current situation is classified into four major headings: student confusion; serious managerial problems; lack of conceptual clarity; and special problems in need analysis. The implications of the…

Tennessee data were analyzed longitudinally from 1979-80 to 1987-88 to compare statewide special education practice associated with two student-based formulas for funding disbursement: "flat" versus "weighted.""Flat" grants, used from 1979-80 to 1982-83, provided a fixed amount of funds per child, teacher, or…

A survey of the states was conducted, focusing on coordination of services and financing for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. On average, states reported using some 21 different sources to support the service delivery system, with each of the 44 funding sources listed being used by at least one state for at least 1…

Elderly and handicapped persons currently receive special transportation assistance through a variety of programs at federal, state, and local levels of government. The different agencies administering these programs tend to work independently of one another, often duplicating transportation facilities and incurring unnecessary costs. User-side…

This policy brief discusses how certain types of state funding provisions create fiscal incentives for more restrictive placements for students with disabilities. This most likely occurs when funding systems are tied to the location in which the services are provided and a more restrictive placement will generate more state aid in relation to…

Since its establishment in the 1860s, Washington's higher education system has evolved rapidly to meet a myriad of state needs in fields as diverse as agriculture, bioscience, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering, medicine, law, business, computer science, and architecture. Today, higher education, like other vital state functions, faces…

This book presents a rationale for developing new approaches to conceptualizing the costs associated with the implementation and operation of models supporting comprehensive, community-based support systems (CCBSS) for children. CCBSS are broad-based approaches that have no single model or specification for reform; the configuration of the model…