Assessing the Impact of Intergovernmental Grant Policies in Education - the Case of Florida

Authors

Nga (Angie) Le, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Public Affairs

First Advisor's Name

Hai (David) Guo

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Allan Rosenbaum

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Third Advisor's Name

Shaoming Cheng

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Stephen Fain

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Keywords

results-based transfers, foundation programs, school finance, fiscal federalism

Date of Defense

6-30-2022

Abstract

In recent decades, grant funding from federal and state governments has played an increasing role in school finance. However, prior research shows that education grants are not always effective, and the resources distributed to school districts are often not efficient. Increased federal and state funding does not always improve schools’ effectiveness but instead may trigger greater bureaucracy and a mass-production vision in local education administration.

This research aims to provide a theoretical foundation for and empirical evidence on the impact of intergovernmental aid in education and inform future policy reforms. This study investigates the effects of federal and state grant policies on the quality of and access to local education services in relation to the grant designs and context of recipient local governments. This research evaluates two programs: the Foundation Program, an equalization aid, and the Race to the Top, a results-based grant.

This research relies on fiscal transfer theories to analyze these programs. The analysis employs quantitative and qualitative data from 67 Florida school districts during 2005–2016. It applies different approaches, including a goal-free evaluation, a case study, and a quasi-experimental design. The various tools and methods utilized are difference-in-differences, spatial analysis, interaction analysis, mediation analysis, a survey, and in-depth interviews.

This dissertation’s contribution to the literature on intergovernmental grants is threefold. First, this study can significantly fill the literature gaps on the impact of results-based transfers and foundation grants. Second, this research is the first empirical study considering the simultaneous implementation of the two aforementioned programs at the local level. Last, because Florida offers a representative case of both programs, these research findings could benefit public policy and administration reform across the nation.

Research findings in this study indicate limited effects of the grants, resulting from a lack of a clear and singular focus on the specified output, an absence of citizen-based accountability in the implementation, and grant fungibility at the local level. This research emphasizes the importance of grant policy formulation and the determinant role of local discretion and implementation in using higher-level government funding.

Identifier

FIDC010901

ORCID

0000-0002-6703-7137

Previously Published In

Le, A. N., & Guo, H. (2021). The Effect of Results-Based Intergovernmental Transfers in the Educational Accountability System: An Examination of the Race to the Top Program. Public Performance & Management Review, 44(4), 785-816. doi:10.1080/15309576.2021.1881802

Recommended Citation

Le, Nga (Angie), "Assessing the Impact of Intergovernmental Grant Policies in Education - the Case of Florida" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5097.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5097