The U.S. Department of Education made recent technical changes reducing eligibility for the Rural and Low-Income School Program. Given smaller budgets and lower economies of scale, rural districts may be less able to absorb short-term funding cuts and experience stronger negative achievement effects. Kansas implemented a state-level finance change…

A $2.37 billion increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) provides an opportunity to address the mental health needs of young children in child care. While the CCDBG increase is the largest ever, states must navigate many legitimate and competing claims for these funds, particularly those set aside to improve quality. One…

The chief state school officer of Colorado looks at the changing federal role in education as it affects the states, especially Colorado. He discusses top priorities of the new administration, how block grants address local priorities, and how to survive the stresses of change. (CT)

Describes the impact in Colorado of the shift from categorical federal aid to block grants under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Covers Colorado education's demographic, socioeconomic, and political context; variations in program impact among school districts; the shift's effects on redistribution of federal aid; and selected…