The impact of and justification for using federal grants to carry out national policies in education is explored in this document. The paper opens by noting that the locally-made decisions typical of our federal system of government do not always take into account such national interests as those in increasing equality of opportunity, providing…

Federal aid programs in education and other areas first appeared as categorical grants, permitting resources to be concentrated on specific policy areas and allowing accountability on the part of grantees to be demanded. During recent years block grants and general purpose grants, permitting greater local control, have grown more popular, partly…

Develops an input-output model, with related multipliers, showing how changes in earmarked and discretionary educational funds (whether local, state, or federal) affect all of a state's districts and educational programs. Illustrates the model with Pennsylvania data and relates it to the usual educational finance approach, which uses demand…

This guide outlines the purposes, rules, procedures, funding, and status of federal education grant programs in Hawaii. These projects--funded by the United States Department of Education's Offices of Elementary and Secondary Education, Vocational and Adult Education, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Educational Research and…

This paper examines the changes that have occurred in the distribution and expenditures of funds in Rhode Island as a result of the change from categorical to block grant funding. Data were collected from the state education agency and each local education agency (LEA). Data on fiscal years 1982, 1983, and 1984 expenditures in and administration…

"Honeypot management" describes the skills needed to acquire and manage categorical funding, a mechanism linking resources to specific activities. In contrast, block grants are intended to be used according to local perceptions of priority and need. This paper explores the applicability of various funding models and their impact on the…

The impact of the Chapter 2 block grant on large cities and districts was assessed through a comparison of school district funding and spending in the two years before and the two years after block grant implementation. In terms of fiscal effects and patterns, it was found that: (1) the 28 districts studied experienced smaller cuts in the two…

Most federal programs supporting elementary and secondary education are state-administered; the federal government allocates funds to the states, which then suballocate the funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) and other agencies. This report presents information on the states' use of funds from the federal fiscal-year 1992 appropriations.…

The articles in this book examine the prominent elements of the Improving America's Schools Act, including the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). They describe how the large federal aid-to-education programs were brought into accord with the new agreement contained in Goals 2000. The book begins with a preface by…

Based on a review of the general features and findings of 40 published works, some estimates of the impact on educational spending of categorical grants, matching grants, block grants, and general revenue sharing grants are provided. Some conceptual and statistical issues are discussed. (Author/BW)

Explains how state and federal court decisions dealing with educational equity and adequacy have increased state involvement in school finance. Describes five state education system models: Single system, single system with capacity for charters, district operating system with multiple state categorical aid programs, district operating system with…

Findings of a study that examined patterns of minority employment among elementary and secondary teachers in public and Catholic schools in six San Francisco Bay area counties are presented in this paper. Using an open systems model of service delivery, the study assessed the ability of the model to explain variation in minority teacher employment…

The history of intergovernmental relations in educational policy has been dominated by regulations, categorical programs, and technical assistance by higher levels of government to stimulate or require lower levels to make changes in policy and practice. This paper summarizes recent research collected by the Consortium of Policy Research in…

The 104th Congress seems intent on reforming the financing of federal programs and, in the process, devolving more authority for the design and delivery of supports and services to states and communities. This paper reviews the experience and lessons from the Reagan block grants of the 1980s, highlighting the similarities and differences between…

This series of articles discusses categorical grants, defined as financial assistance by a higher level of government to a lower level for educational services of a specific type or for a particular group of students. In the first article, criticism of such programs is discussed, as well as alternative approaches to better meet the goals of…