Since the passage in 1975 of P.L. 94-142 – now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – special education expenditures have risen substantially as programs and related services for students with disabilities have become a major component of the nation’s overall educational enterprise. As a result, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels require information to make decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources and the provision of services to children with disabilities. The Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF) was established in October 1992 to meet this information need.
The overall mission of CSEF is to address fiscal policy questions and information needs related to the delivery and support of special education services throughout the United States, and to provide opportunities for information sharing on these topics.
CSEF is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, under a five-year cooperative agreement (H159G20002). It operates within the Education and Public Sector Finance Group at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Palo Alto, California.