ERIC Number: ED412699
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1997-Sep
Pages: 53
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Special Education in an Era of School Reform: Special Education Finance.
Parrish, Thomas B.
This report summarizes and discusses some of the major fiscal policy questions surrounding the funding of special education in the current era of school reform. Part 1, "Current Special Education Financing: Issues and Provisions," addresses how special education is currently funded and the different formulas used for special education funding. Issues that are driving the reform of special education funding are outlined, including the need for greater flexibility in placement and use, rising special education costs and enrollments, concerns over the efficiency of special education services, the strict categorical nature of special education services, and fiscal policies that work at cross purposes with inclusion policies. Part 2 of the report, "State and Federal Reform Initiatives" discusses different ways that governments are addressing the issues of special education funding, including census-based funding, adjusting special education funding based on student poverty, removing fiscal incentives for restrictive placements, changing the federal "incidental benefit" rule, and blended funding and service provisions. Criteria that states should consider when developing funding systems to foster effective special education programming, how states' fiscal policies can encourage integrated services, and ways states have been able to overcome difficulties in implementing fiscal reform policies are also reviewed. (Contains 18 references.) (CR)
Descriptors: Disabilities, Economic Factors, Educational Finance, Educational Innovation, Elementary Secondary Education, Expenditure per Student, Finance Reform, Financial Policy, Financial Support, Inclusive Schools, Program Costs, Special Education, State Aid, Student Costs, Student Placement
Federal Resource Center, Academy for Educational Development, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: 202-884-8215.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Information Analyses; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Federal Resource Center for Special Education, Lexington, KY.; American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA. Center for Special Education Finance.; Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A