Proposed changes in Pennsylvania state funding for and regulation of public education are presented in this pamplet by the state's governor and secretary of education. The funding proposal calls for a new local education block grant, totalling $127 million, in the state budget. The funds are to be distributed to school districts for basic…

Reviews the first two years of implementation of Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act in Washington state, examining political and economic background factors, state responses to block grant authority, and local implementation. Concludes that the state adapted well and quickly to the shift in federal policy. (PGD)

Defines block grants and describes their relationship to categorical aid programs. Discusses potential pros and cons of block grants for states and for local school districts, including intense competition for funds, and specifies strategic steps that school boards might take at the local, state, and federal levels. (CJM)

Draws on case studies from eight states to examine the initial operation of federal block grants. Finds that Chapter 2 worked better in its first year than its critics had predicted and that local education agencies frequently used their "united" money in innovative ways to meet local educational needs. (GC)

This report provides an overview of the federally funded State Improvement Grants (SIGs). Information was obtained from the 17 individual state profiles compiled for the Regional Resource Center Network SIG Report. Results of the analysis found: (1) 18 states were awarded SIGs in 1999 and the average SIG award was $1,002,949; (2) recruitment and…

President Reagan has announced that he will propose a program to increase numbers of teachers proficient in secondary school science/mathematics. House and Senate bills have also been introduced to provide programs for improving elementary and secondary science/mathematics education. Highlights of these programs, to be administered by the National…

While most categorical programs are subject to problems stemming from local, state, and Federal overlap, the problems produced by these parallel structures in bilingual education appear to be dissipating through local capacity-building, increased state legislation for bilingual education, and Federal awareness of its role and support for state and…

Reviews the fiscal effects on 28 of the largest U.S. school districts of the shift in federal funding of education from categorical aid to block grants. Focuses on the longitudinal pattern of funding, the status of desegregation efforts, and the level of participation of private school students. (PGD)

School district central office administrators were studied to determine the effects of state and federal regulatory policies for categorical funding on administrative costs and administrator behavior. Findings showed significant hidden program costs for local districts. Additionally, regulations diverted local managers from educational concerns to…

A study of Chapter 2 first-year implementation in nine states found that administrators like the flexibility of the block grants. Problems remain concerning the participation of private school students, service to special populations, and the continued use of state advisory councils. (MLF)

Reviews progress made toward educating handicapped children in the United States under Public Law 94-142. Describes how proposals by the Reagan Administration to reduce Federal involvement in education would place a heavy burden on individual States and would erode recent gains in educational opportunity for the handicapped. (GC)

Categorical education programs provide state funding to schools and local education agencies for the purchase of specific types of local services, such as transportation, subsidized meals, and supplemental instruction. California has at least 57 separate categorical programs. This document provides an overview of California's experience with…

The major findings of nine State case studies on the effects and implementation of Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981, are summarized and synthesized in this report. The States examined (Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington) were selected to…

Libraries will play a key role in establishing a learning society and in halting the decline in education described in "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education. The block grant program has already aided the advancement of library and education programs,…

This paper poses and responds to 10 questions about the policy issues affecting state education agencies raised by the federal government's plans to reduce expenditures for education and to consolidate several categorical aid programs into two major block grants. These 10 questions focus on the shifting relationships among and responsibilities of…