The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging Congress to grant the U.S. Department of Education broader authority to collect detailed data on special education resources, citing significant gaps in current data.
Why it matters: A new GAO report found that 44% of public school students with disabilities attend schools with no full-time psychologists, and only 20% attend schools with key staff like social workers, psychologists, nurses and counselors. However, the Education Department lacks the statutory authority to collect district and school-level data that would offer a better look at where students with disabilities lack resources.
What’s next: GAO recommends Congress grant the Education Department authority to collect school- and district-level data on:
- Students receiving specific types of special education services
- Staffing for special education services
- Expenditures for special education services
The bottom line: More granular data could help policymakers better understand and address inequities in special education resources across schools and districts as demand for special education services increases.
