Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 1.djvu/159

 PUBLIC LAW 105-17—JUNE 4, 1997 111 STAT. 135 "Chapter 1—Improving Early Intervention, Educational, and Transitional Services and Results for Children with Disabilities through Coordinated Research and Personnel Preparation "SEC. 671. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 20 USC 1471. "(a) FINDINGS.— The Congress finds the following: "(1) The Federal Government has an ongoing obligation to support programs, projects, and activities that contribute to positive results for children with disabilities, enabling them— "(A) to meet their early intervention, educational, and transitional goals and, to the maximum extent possible, educational standards that have been established for all children; and "(B) to acquire the skills that will empower them to lead productive and independent adult lives. "(2)(A) As a result of more than 20 years of Federal support for research, demonstration projects, and personnel preparation, there is an important knowledge base for improving results for children with disabilities. "(B) Such knowledge should be used by States and local educational agencies to design and implement state-of-the-art educational systems that consider the needs of, and include, children with disabilities, especially in environments in which they can learn along with their peers and achieve results measured by the same standards as the results of their peers. "(3)(A) Continued Federal support is essential for the development and maintenance of a coordinated and high-quality program of research, demonstration projects, dissemination of information, and personnel preparation. "(B) Such support— "(i) enables State educational agencies and local educational agencies to improve their educational systems and results for children with disabilities; "(ii) enables State and local agencies to improve early intervention services and results for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; and "(iii) enhances the opportunities for general and special education personnel, related services personnel, parents, and paraprofessionals to participate in pre-service and inservice training, to collaborate, and to improve results for children with disabilities and their families. "(4) The Federal Government plays a critical role in facilitating the availability of an adequate number of qualified personnel— "(A) to serve effectively the over 5,000,000 children with disabilities; "(B) to assume leadership positions in administrative and direct-service capacities related to teacher training and research concerning the provision of early intervention services, special education, and related services; and "(C) to work with children with low-incidence disabilities and their families. "(5) The Federal Government performs the role described in paragraph (4)—

�