Although Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) raised public awareness of the civil rights of the handicapped, the policy problems that it was intended to solve included more than civil rights issues. In particular, the law did not provide for modifications of its policies in improving public education opportunities for…

Current legislation that improves services to target populations includes elements of mandated reform of certain professional practices. Such a mandate puts into practice changes that many have said were needed, but it also makes implementation of these policies more difficult. (Author/BJV)

To study aspects of P.L. 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) that prove both most and least problematic for rural special education cooperatives, which is the most prevalent type of cooperative arrangement, a sample was selected that included the 2 Federal Education Regions (from a total of 10) determined to contain the nation's…