U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today issued the following statement upon approval by a House-Senate conference committee of legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the nation's special education law.

"This is a giant step toward promoting educational excellence for America's 6.8 million children and youth with disabilities. By aligning IDEA with the No Child Left Behind Act, we will be raising the standards and expectations for all.

"Parents can take heart in knowing that this measure provides for highly qualified teachers of their children, thus ensuring that students with disabilities have the best opportunity to succeed.

"Schools and states will appreciate the opportunities to reduce paperwork called for in this legislation, which was one of the key recommendations of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. This agreement also raises the bar for special education research, studies and evaluations by consolidating research into the Institute of Education Sciences, here at the Education Department.

"I commend Senators Gregg, Kennedy and Representatives Boehner, Miller and Castle—as well as the rest of the House and Senate conferees—for their diligent work in producing this significant bipartisan agreement."

###

Top

Back to November 2004