Motivational Effects and Public Funding for Special Education

Abstract In this chapter, we explore how education funding systems, inclusive of funding programs for general and special education, may affect whether and how students with disabilities receive special education and related services. And yet, funding should not affect a child with a disability’s opportunity to access public schooling or their learning. Federal law obligates states and local education agencies to provide—at no cost to students and parents—special education and related services to children with disabilities that are appropriate to their needs. Given the chasm between policy and practice, it is both necessary and important to understand how state policies for funding schools impact local decision making. We review the legal and regulatory frameworks that establish the requirement for public funding for special education and the existing research on motivational effects of programs designed to provide specific funding for special education. We then present new evidence about the connection between general education funding and special education identification rates. The chapter concludes with considerations for policymakers as they seek to develop and evaluate education finance systems that ensure students with disabilities equitable access to educational opportunities.