The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
Contact: Elizabeth Cronen, (202) 261-5723, ecronen@ui.urban.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. September 11, 2007—Fewer than half of the nation's private elementary and secondary schools use the federally funded services available to them, says a new Urban Institute study. Many of these resources—special education for disabled children, teachers' professional development, drug abuse prevention, and more—are meant to help public- and private-school students alike, but go largely untapped by the private institutions.
In the report, "Private School Participants in Programs under the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," education policy researcher Gayle Christensen finds that only 43 percent of private schools have students receiving special-education services available under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and just 44 percent take advantage of any one of many programs outlined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
In fact, even among the five ESEA activities most popular with private schools, the schools' participation rates do not top 20 percent for any single program. The report analyzes private-school participant rates for the 2004–2005 school year.
Almost all public school districts receive funding under ESEA and IDEA. Even the ESEA program with some of the strictest eligibility standards—Title I, a targeted program for needy students—serves 93 percent of public school districts.
Ahead of the private pack are Catholic schools, which connect their students, teachers, and parents to federally funded education programs in by far the greatest proportion than do other private schools. Sixty-two percent of Catholic schools link students to special services through IDEA, and a noteworthy 80 percent have students or teachers drawing on at least one ESEA offering, such as grants for innovative teaching, safe schools, and educational technology. By comparison, no more than 40 percent of other religious or nonsectarian private schools take advantage of opportunities under IDEA or ESEA.
What's stopping so many private schools from making the most of federal education funds for their students? Christensen finds that while a large number of schools intentionally opt out, a lack of information is an obstacle for others.
"Lots of schools make a conscious choice not to participate in federal programs. But other school representatives said they were not aware of the programs," says Christensen. "Providing more information to these private schools may help ensure equitable participation for private-school students, teachers, and parents."
In 2007, $10.7 billion were available under IDEA and more than $19 billion for ESEA activities for both public- and private-school students, teachers, and parents.
The study was funded by the Policy and Program Studies Service in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. The full report is available at http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411541.
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing
The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
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