Testimony of Kathleen Boundy before Hearing on NCLB Convened by the Public Education Network, January 11, 2006 in Boston, MA

The author, a Boston-based attorney and the co-director of the Center for Law and Education, presents testimony about students with disabilities, shares some thoughts generally about whether the requirements of NCLB are working for these particular students, and identifies areas of concern and areas in need of improvement. Specifically, she presents the following issues and concerns: (1) All students with disabilities are still not being taught to high level and sufficiently comprehensive standards; (2) Multiple measures in assessment need to be used for the testing of students with disabilities; (3) Parent communities are not adequately involved in school improvement efforts as required by NCLB making schools less accountable to parents; (4) Schools and school districts are not providing the necessary resources to be accountable for delivering high quality instruction and services; and (5) Supplemental educational services and remedial or compensatory education often deny students with disabilities the specialized instruction they need to benefit from the course of instruction.