This manual is designed to help state and local administrators, school board members, and other education advocates understand the complex requirements of the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Without legal jargon, this manual provides step-by-step instruction on IDEA's administrative and procedural requirements. It discusses some of the problems with the old act and highlights the nature of and reasons for the changes. The manual identifies new questions arising from the reauthorized IDEA and discusses potential outcomes under the new statue. It offers insight into the interpretations likely to follow in regulations or the courts and provides practical guidance for understanding IDEA. The manual focuses primarily on the requirements of Part B, the state grant program which provides financial assistance for educating children with disabilities. Individual chapters discuss the changes to: (1) state and local planning requirements; (2) identification, evaluation, and placement of children with disabilities; (3) the Individualized Education Program process; (4) discipline; (5) procedural safeguards; (6) fiscal and administrative provisions; and (7) early childhood programs. The manual also gives an overview of the program that provides assistance for infants and toddlers with disabilities, known as Part C of the Act. An appendix includes a copy of the Act itself. (CR)