This study tracks Federal block grant monies and their impact on the poor of Illinois. The hypothesis prompting the study was that the state has distributed a smaller proportion of its Federal block grant funds to those counties with the highest proportion of the state's poor as compared with the proportional distribution of Federal dollars under…

Much of the contention and rhetoric would lessen if there were more federal money for existing block grants and fewer categorical programs; if the federal money were made available in a timely fashion; if Congress would simplify existing programs and attempt less regulation; and if an effective system of coordination and joint human services were…

Summarizes the history of federal aid to education appropriations and explains the characteristics of categorical grants, general aid, and block grants. Appended are 16 notes. (MLF)

Most district officials interviewed expressed satisfaction with the simplified application procedures and increased district discretion offered by the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. Perceived negative aspects included the amount of funding and possibility of a decrease, the potential neglect of research, the loss of federal…

Analysis of formula allocations plus discretionary grants of Chapter 2 funds to the 28 largest school districts reveals decreases in funding in 16 districts formerly receiving the greatest Emergency School Aid Act allocations. These districts generally experienced smaller cuts under the block grants than during the year before consolidation. (MJL)

The senator explains the basic concepts of New Federalism, including a rethinking of responsibilities and intergovernmental relations and a reconsideration of the role of state and local government. (SK)

Federal block grants, in contrast to categorical programs and revenue sharing, allow states and localities considerable flexibility in meeting needs within broad functional areas; but, they are also designed to assure that funds are spent to pursue national objectives. Before 1981, block grants included varying levels of recipient accountability…

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)

The conclusions of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concerning the effects of consolidating federal categorical aid programs into block grant programs are presented in this report. The block grants reviewed were established before 1981 under the Partnership for Health Act, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, the Comprehensive…

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)

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…

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…

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.…