News Release NCD
#04-448
January 14, 2004
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
mquigley@ncd.gov
Statement by the National Council on Disability
on the Second Anniversary of No Child Left Behind
WASHINGTON--January 15, 2004, marks the second anniversary
of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The National Council on
Disability (NCD) acknowledges NCLB as a significant achievement
for the education of all students, including those with disabilities.
Even with the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) December 9 rule
affecting students deemed to have the most "significant cognitive
disabilities," more needs to be done.
In its 2003 report, National
Disability Policy: A Progress Report, NCD highlighted a number
of issues related to education for students with disabilities, including
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is
currently being reauthorized by Congress. The report also discussed
the interaction between IDEA and NCLB.
The NCD report was written against the backdrop of
historic change in the nation's education system. The chapter on
education begins with lengthy analyses of the No Child Left Behind
Act as it bears upon students with disabilities and of the report
of the Presidential Commission on Excellence in Special Education.
These analyses highlight areas in which NCLB and the Commission
report either fail to address issues of great concern to students
with disabilities, or support policies (such as restriction of parental
due process rights and after-the-fact evaluation of individualized
education programs) that NCD views as threatening to the ability
of IDEA to continue as an effective tool for preparing students
with disabilities in mainstream settings for full participation
in society as adults.
NCD is currently conducting a study that looks at
NCLB and IDEA.
For more information, contact Mark Quigley or Martin
Gould at 202-272-2004.
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