The longer the shutdown, the worse for schools, education experts say

Education advocates are biting their nails as the government shutdown begins.

A contingency plan for the Education Department has been put in place, with 95 percent of its staffers furloughed, apart from the Federal Student Aid Office. Most of the funding designated over the summer and other money set to be released Wednesday will continue, creating some cushion for schools. But facilities on tax-exempt federal land such as Native American reservations will feel the impact immediately, and others will be close behind.

In its plan, the department laid out services that would continue, such as student aid disbursement, funding for Title I, which goes to struggling schools, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

But new grantmaking activity will end, civil rights investigations will be