Report: NCLB May Be Aiding Students With Disabilities

The accountability systems created by the federal No Child Left Behind Act have led to some benefits for students with disabilities, but it’s too soon to link the law with improved academic outcomes for such students, a presidential advisory group says.

The 15-member National Council on Disability, which makes recommendations to the president and Congress on issues relating to Americans with disabilities and their families, released a report Jan. 28 at its quarterly board meeting in New Orleans. Much of the information gathered in the report, produced jointly by the Educational Policy Institute in Virginia Beach, Va., and the American Youth Policy Forum in Washington, came from interviews with dozens of researchers and state officials.

Trying to link academic achievement directly to the 6-year-old No Child Left Behind law was a challenge, said Martin Gould, the director of research and technology for the council. The researchers decided they needed to take a layered approach by examining academic data as well as talking directly with those charged with...