ABSTRACT

The reconciliation act, twenty-nine small programs, authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), funded a wide variety of services and aid programs provided largely by state and local educational agencies. The reconciliation act consolidated the twenty-nine programs in a single block grant, a larger number than any other block grant established by the reconciliation act. The block grant will continue to support services and purposes provided by the twenty-nine programs. Block grant funds will be distributed to state educational agencies according to each state's share of the national school-age population. Audit provisions required by the General Education Provisions Act apply to block grant funds. The Department of Education can fund the programs separately from the block grant, although states can support the four programs with their block grant allocations. The most important change caused by the block grant is the distribution formula.