ERIC Number: EJ1395896
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Oct
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0014-4029
EISSN: EISSN-2163-5560
Unequal and Increasingly Unfair: How Federal Policy Creates Disparities in Special Education Funding
Kolbe, Tammy; Dhuey, Elizabeth; Doutre, Sara Menlove
Exceptional Children, v90 n1 p57-75 Oct 2023
The formula used to allocate federal funding to states for special education is one of IDEA's most critical components. The formula serves as the primary mechanism for dividing available federal dollars among states and represents policy makers' intent to equalize educational opportunities for students with disabilities nationwide. In this study, we evaluate the distribution of IDEA Part B funding in the wake of changes to the formula that were instituted at the law's 1997 reauthorization. We find that the revised formula generates large and concerning disparities among states in federal special education dollars. On average, states with proportionally larger populations of children and children living in poverty, children identified for special education, and non-White and Black children receive fewer federal dollars per capita.
Descriptors: Funding Formulas, Resource Allocation, Educational Equity (Finance), Special Education, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Students with Disabilities, Equal Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Grants, Geographic Location, Poverty, Racial Differences
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A