Abstract
Significant changes in federal policy have occurred over the past decade to assure the rights of handicapped individuals to a free, appropriate public education. Some of the policy changes have been procedural in nature; others have required professional reexamination and reinterpretation. It becomes important to set priorities for policy issues in terms of impact and to develop the necessary options and alternatives required for successful implementation at the local, intermediate, and state level. This article reviews the development of policy, identifies emerging policy issues, and describes a national research project's response to determine appropriate policy options and alternatives so that decision makers can continue to meet the policy needs of the 1980's.
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