Annenberg Institute Publishes Paper on Federal Policy Creating Disparities in Special Education Funding

This month, Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform released a publication detailing the shortcomings of the formula used to allocate the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grants to states program. The report notes that while funding was designed to be divided among states based on demand for special education services, the 1997 reauthorization of the IDEA resulted in a formula revision that now allocates funding based on the number of school-aged students and those living in poverty within a state. By examining the distribution of funds according to the current formula, researchers found that states with proportionally larger populations of marginalized students such as students of color, students living in poverty, and students with disabilities receive less federal aid per capita and per student receiving special education. The paper includes policy simulations that serve as recommendations for possible improvements to the current formula. 

Read more here.