In 1980, California instituted a new system for funding special education. Among
ID: 1178642 • Letter: I
Question
In 1980, California instituted a new system for funding special education. Among other things, the system provides increased funding for schools in proportion to the number of students classified with a given disability; and different disabilities are awarded different funding rates.
A. What is likely to happen to the proportion of schoolchildren classified as "disabled" and why?
B. Since the diagnoses of many disabilities are to some extent subjective, how might schools respond to the new education funding system?
Explanation / Answer
he parents of 436 disabled pre-school children were interviewed about habits and problems relevant to dental health. The children, who represented 10 different disabling conditions, were examined and dmft registered. The purpose was to study the relationship between different background variables and caries experience. The dmft score was analyzed in accordance with several sociocultural, medical, and habitual variables, using a multiple classification analysis (MCA). The number of daily carbohydrate intakes, duration of use of nursing bottle, family income, and diagnosis were the variables with the strongest association with dmft. Children with congenital heart disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis had a considerably higher adjusted dmft than the other diagnostic groups. The proportion of children with caries experience was higher in the present survey than in groups of Norwegian children of corresponding age.
B)
As we set out in our Consultation on School Funding Reform: Rationale
and Principles, published on 13th April, the current system for funding
schools has many problems. The money the Government gives to local
authorities to fund schools relates not to the needs of pupils but to
historical decisions about spending made by previous governments
and local authorities. The system results in similar schools in different
areas receiving very different levels of funding. It does not respond well
to changing characteristics of pupils and therefore does not help
schools support pupils