Special Education: Congressional Action Needed to Improve Chapter 1 Handicapped Program
Highlights
Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program and its relationship to the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) Program, focusing on: (1) the extent to which the Department of Education provided guidance to the states to determine eligibility under Chapter 1; (2) whether states implemented programs consistent with congressional intent regarding the transfer of students from state-operated or -supported programs to local public schools; (3) the extent of education that handicapped children received in settings with nonhandicapped children; (4) whether Chapter 1 afforded all handicapped children and their parents the same rights and procedural guarantees as under EHA programs; (5) the specific services provided under Chapter 1 compared with those under EHA programs; and (6) efforts to ensure that all eligible handicapped students received services.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress should restructure the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program to better ensure that states focus program services on severely handicapped children by allocating program funds to states on the basis of their percentage of the nation's total handicapped children counted in the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program and part B of EHA programs. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congressional action to implement this recommendation is not expected because of strong opposition. |
| Congress should restructure the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program to better ensure that states focus program services on severely handicapped children by eliminating the funding transfer provision contained in the Education Amendments of 1974. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congressional action to implement this recommendation is not expected because of strong opposition. |
| Congress should restructure the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program to better ensure that states focus program services on severely handicapped children by requiring that Chapter 1 Handicapped Program funds be used to serve only severely handicapped children (as identified by each state) in state facilities and public schools. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congressional action to implement this recommendation is not expected because of strong opposition. |
| Congress should enact legislation to combine the Chapter 1 Handicapped and EHA programs. If the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program is merged under the EHA program, Congress should also consider a separate Chapter 1 Handicapped funding set-aside for the states to use to serve only severely handicapped students. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congressional action to implement this recommendation is not expected because of strong opposition. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | If Congress implements the recommendations for refocusing the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program on severely handicapped children, the Secretary of Education should eliminate from program regulations the provision requiring that each child counted under the Chapter 1 Handicapped Program must receive some benefit from program funds. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Congressional action to implement this recommendation is not expected because of strong opposition.
|