Migrant Education Program Draws Scrutiny

Advocates warn of costs from proposed regulation defining student eligibility.

Proposed new rules intended to keep closer tabs on eligibility for the federal migrant education program could be costly and burdensome for states—and lead to decreased participation of migrant families, according to officials who implement the program in some states.

The migrant program was created in 1966 as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to address the needs of children of mobile farm workers. With a budget of $386.5 million this school year, it serves 635,000 children, ages 3 to 21, providing educational programs during the regular school year and summers.

In its announcement of proposed rule changes in the May 4 Federal Register , the Department of Education said audits and investigations of a number of states by the department’s inspector general had found errors in counts of children who are...