President Bush's commission on special education, charged with recommending areas of reform to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), held hearings in Houston this week. Some expected the hearings to be attended only by representatives of special education advocacy groups opposed to any changes in IDEA, which is soon up for reauthorization. Instead the panel heard from a range of witnesses -- including state education officials from Texas and New York, as well as some advocacy groups -- calling for the federal government to focus on accountability for results instead of compliance with procedural rules, according to a story in the San Antonio Express-News. An open letter to the President's commission, identifying key areas of IDEA that urgently need reforming, was released earlier this week by Lisa Graham Keegan (Education Leaders Council), William J. Bennett (former Secretary of Education, now at Empower America), and Chester E. Finn, Jr. (Thomas B. Fordham Foundation). While the House of Representatives is planning to take up the issue of special education this summer (after the President's commission issues its recommendations), the legislation is likely to be contentious and Hill staffers do not expect serious work on the bill until 2003, according to a report in Education Week.
"Experts want focus to be on results," by Sharon Hughes, San Antonio Express-News, February 26, 2002.
Open letter to the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education from Lisa Graham Keegan, William J. Bennett, and Chester E. Finn, Jr., available at http://www.educationleaders.org/issues/020222branstad.htm or call 202-261-2600.
"Forecast for IDEA restructuring: Not this year," by Lisa Fine, Education Week, February 20, 2002.