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Foreword

EDERAL AGENCIES are responsible for a variety of educational activities. These vary from operating programs for which specific appropriations are made to others which provide educational services incident to some other Federal purpose. Because of the variable nature of these services having educational significance, it is difficult to secure complete reports of all financial provisions for education made by the Federal Government.

Through the years, the Office of Education has gathered figures from the Federal agencies and reported them in the series of publications on Federal Funds for Education. The present publication is the eleventh in the series. Each has been useful in supplying ready and authoritative answers to questions regarding the Federal interest in education.

In the collection of these figures, the Office of Education has had the cooperation of officials in many departments, agencies, and offices of the Federal Government. Their assistance in supplying actual appropriation or expenditure data and in making estimates of portions that might be regarded as within the scope of this bulletin on Federal funds for education is appreciated.

WAYNE O. REED,

ERICK L. LINDMAN,

Director, Administration of State
and Local School Systems.

Assistant Commissioner,

Division of State and Local School Systems.

Chapter I

FEDERAL PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION

UNDS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION in the United States are almost wholly derived from Federal, State, and local tax revenues. All three provide substantial amounts. Recent figures and estimates indicate that approximately 32 percent1 of all local tax collections are expended for public education. Similarly, 21 percent2 of the disbursements made by State governments and about 6 percent of the Federal budget are expended for educational purposes. In addition to these funds from public sources, other funds are derived from private sources for educational services. Private funds are used largely for the support of private schools and colleges.

For many decades, city, State and Federal reports have presented accurate and comprehensive financial data pertaining to State and local funds expended for education. However, such reports have not given a corresponding amount of detail regarding Federal expenditures for education. The present series of bulletins has been the continuing source of information about the more significant expenditures, but it has been limited to 30 to 40 Federal programs whereas there are more than 200 Federal activities in education for which annual appropriations are made. Widespread interest in Federal funds for education has recently been extended by the growth in school population, the prevalence of school building needs, the movement of teachers away from the profession, and the many congressional bills proposing to solve these critical problems by providing more Federal aid for education.

PURPOSE OF THE BULLETIN

The presentation of detailed information on several major Federal Government programs providing funds for education, is the purpose of the present bulletin. Data have been gathered from many different Federal offices. Some were obtained from published reports of the agencies. Other information has been secured

Derived from estimates based upon local revenues for schools reported in FSA, Office of Education Circular No. 274, Public-School Finance Programs of the Forty-eight States. Total local revenues: U. S. Department of Commerce. Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1951. 350 p.

U. S. Department of Commerce. Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1951. 360 p. Ratio between the Federal expenditures of 44.6 billions for Fiscal 1951 and the $2,543,860,194 reported in table 6.

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