published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The study addresses the fiscal, governance, and educational impact of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act on elementary and secondary education in Oregon from its inception in 1983 through the 1985 fiscal year. A review of the national literature and research provided rationale for hypothesizing within state redistribution of federal aid to elementary and secondary school districts, increased federal aid to local education agencies, a continuation of decreased federal funding for state educational agency positions, and an expansion of federal aid to private schools. Interviews were conducted with Oregon Department of Education officials, members of the State Block Grant Advisory Committee, and local educators. State documents and plans were studied and analyzed. Oregon's 309 elementary and secondary school districts and seven state institution schools were classified into five recipient groups: (1) Population Center; (2) Suburban; (3) Metropolitan-Urban; (4) Rural; and (5) State Institutions. School districts gains and losses within groups and among groups were computed and reported. The study showed that the metropolitan school district of Portland and the state institution schools were the only two groups to lose federal aid in the transition from the antecedent categorical programs in 1982 to the first year block grant program in 1983 while the proportion of federal aid per-pupil allocated to suburban and population center school districts increased. The trend from 1982 to 1985 showed per-pupil distribution shaped federal aid into more of a mathematical equity distribution where the percent of federal aid has become more proportionate to the percent of pupils in school district groups. The study also found that the block grant set aside at the state level is a significant source of funds to support educational change and reform. The Oregon Department of Education has used block grant funds as a major revenue source to support the Oregon Action Plan for Excellence. The study concluded that the program had moved federal aid away from previously targeted needs and that federal aid, in the absence of strongly worded purposes and national interests, may evolve into an educational revenue sharing program. In times of economic difficulty and revenue shortfalls, the justification for continued educational block grants may be questioned.

In 1981 the Reagan Administration announced a New Federalism to reduce the size and impact of the federal government and return power and control to state and local governments. This Revived Federalism program was partially initiated in the establishment of a state option to administer the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This study examines the implementation process by which the national and state governments administer the CDBG program to accomplish national goals. A review of the implementation literature suggests a variety of variables which influence the implementation process. A general integrated framework, which incorporates the political, organizational and socio-economic environments, is proposed as a model to structure the investigation of the implementation process. A comparative study is made of the implementation process in five Area Offices of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and in two State programs. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the process, a four year period is covered to examine the process before and after the State option was established. The results of the study indicate that the implementation process is complex and diverse--both under federal and state administration. Similarities are found in the results of the program under both forms of administration. Differences in the results are also traced in both national and state implementation processes. The interaction of different mixtures of factors in the political, organizational and socio-economic environments within different communities contribute to the similarities and differences in outcomes which are observed. The influences of the local and federal or state administrators are reciprocal as actors at each level of administration interpret and adjust to the cycle of federal legislative changes in the program and to the perceived needs of the various communities. Uncertainty as to the intent and permanence of the multi-objective Small Cities CDBG program is mitigated by the reliance upon organizational structure and routine. National objectives are achievable under either national or state implementation processes, but the outcomes in both forms of administration, will be influenced by the perceptions of the administrators at each level of government participation and will reflect the influences of different sets of complex political, organizational and socio-economic factors. The outcomes in specific localities will not be general or uniform with the results in other areas of the United States. / Ph. D.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The focus of the study was to observe changes brought about by the implementation of Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 in local jurisdictions of government when the disposition of federal funds were under local control. The study investigated the extent to which the six expressed intentions of Chapter 2, ECIA legislation were realized in 154 local education agencies in the state of Mississippi two years after implementation. Specifically, the six legislative concerns were to: * Reduce the amount of paperwork without reducing the quality of programs, * Equalize the distribution of federal funds without reducing the benefits to specific target populations, * Increase local discretion without diminishing prior program commitments to the original national priorities, * Increase the role of private education without raising the constitutional issue, * Reduce reporting and evaluation requirements without a commensurate loss of accountability, and * Reduce the constraints on SEAs in the planning of federally funded projects and programs without a loss of perceived quality in those programs. Data sources collected for analysis included: a mail survey, interviews with state and local school personnel, and supportive documents from both the state education agency and local school districts. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. From the study it was concluded that, while the goals of Chapter 2, ECIA legislation were admirable, they were replete with unintended consequences. Further, while many of the legislative objectives were met at the national level several of the objectives had differing effects in a state like Mississippi which exerted little SEA influence. / Ph. D.

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