National Council on Disability Says No Child Left Behind and Individuals With
Disabilities Education Act Having Positive Impact
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- The National Council on
Disability (NCD) today released a report
(http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/index.htm) analyzing the progress of
the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), that says students with disabilities are no longer
ignored. To that end, NCLB and IDEA have had a significant, positive impact.
According to NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn, "Thanks to NCLB, with its push
for improved student outcomes, as well as the IDEA, educators across the
United States are reexamining their practices to find ways to close the
achievement gaps between groups of students. Students with disabilities are a
focus of this attention as schools and states work hard to improve their
academic outcomes. Policymakers are studying the ongoing implementation of
both NCLB and IDEA to determine the most effective means for serving students
with disabilities."
NCD commissioned this study entitled The No Child Left Behind Act and the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: A Progress Report, to assist
policy leaders and stakeholders in assessing the impact of NCLB and IDEA on
schools, including student outcomes produced as a result of changes mandated
in the laws. This report provides a detailed analysis of such key questions as
(a) How has student achievement status changed since the laws were
(re)authorized? (b) What impact have the laws had on assessment systems,
accountability systems, and systems of personnel development? and (c) Which
barriers are impeding the achievement of students with disabilities, and how
can those barriers be overcome?
"In our evaluation of NCLB and IDEA, students with disabilities appear to be
doing better academically, and they also appear to be graduating with diplomas
and certificates at higher rates than in prior years. Data suggests, however,
that there is still cause for concern about the dropout levels of students
with disabilities nationwide. Regardless of whether that concern is
definitional or real, we need a better understanding of the manifestations of
new rules and regulations on these students. According to our analyses, one of
the most important results of NCLB and IDEA appears to be that students with
disabilities are no longer ignored. To that end, NCLB and IDEA have had a
significant, positive impact. Teachers, administrators, and the community are
becoming aware of what students with disabilities are capable of achieving if
they are held to the same high standards and expectations as their peers,"
Vaughn stated.
As our nation's policymakers continue their work on NCLB Act reauthorization,
it is important to recognize the complex interplay among the federal law,
state laws and regulations, and actual practice at the district and school
levels. Some of the requirements in NCLB have had unintended consequences, and
any proposed changes to the law should be carefully considered to ensure that
additional unintended consequences are not created, especially for students
with disabilities.
"It is also important to provide flexibility with regard to student
performance while holding on to the idea of meeting a high standard. High
expectations with differentiated learning and instruction should be the twin
foundations for the law.
We are confident that the nation can continue to fight against low
expectations for students with disabilities, and can continue to win," Vaughn
concluded.
NCD is an independent federal agency and is composed of 15 members appointed
by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. NCD
provides advice to the President, Congress, and executive branch agencies to
promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that --
(A) guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities,
regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and
(B) empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic
self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all
aspects of society.
SOURCE National Council on Disability
Mark S. Quigley, Director of External Affairs of the National Council on
Disability, +1-202-272-2004, mquigley@ncd.gov
