Brandon Tae-Hee Yi successfully defended Master’s thesis: A “Moneybag” Analysis of Fiscal Efficiency in California’s Early Childhood Special Education

Special Education masters' student, Brandon Tae-Hee Yi has successfully defended his Master’s thesis. Brandon's research is titled, A “Moneybag” Analysis of Fiscal Efficiency in California’s Early Childhood Special Education. If interested, Please read Brandon’s thesis abstract below.

Abstract:

Numbers can tell a story, and the narrative in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) financing has been limited to the simple nominal value of funding, much like professional baseball once prioritized batting average over true offensive impact. This thesis introduces a "Moneyball" (Lewis, 2003) approach to resource allocation within California's Part C and Part B (Section 619) ECSE system, aiming to shift the focus from inputs (nominal funding) to fiscal efficiency and measured outcomes. To quantify programmatic efficiency, a novel metric, the Cost Per Outcome Point (CPOP), along with the Early Intervention Impact Score (EIIS), is developed and applied. The findings reveal that while funding has nominally increased, it has not kept pace with inflation, and system inefficiency is apparent, with utilization rates averaging approximately 65% for Part C services. Given the fixed budgetary constraints of ECSE, a simple funding increase is insufficient. Therefore, this research proposes an evidence-based resource reallocation framework that shifts funding incentives toward high-efficiency, high-impact interventions, optimizing resource deployment to maximize positive developmental outcomes for children with disabilities.