Disability Scoop

Congress mandates that millions of dollars each year go toward researching best practices in special education, but a new analysis warns that the vast majority of the funds could go unspent this year.

The Trump administration has not allocated 84% of the money budgeted for special education research through the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, according to a review of publicly available data conducted by Knowledge Alliance, a nonprofit comprised of leading education organizations that advocates for federal investment in education research.

The government has until Sept. 30 to spend $77 million on the special education research and evaluation program, but only $11 million has been spoken for so far. The remaining funds are now at risk of lapsing.