This issue of "NERRC Focus" describes the activities of Vermont's Special Education Program and Fiscal Review Panel (the Panel), created by the Vermont Legislature in 1998, to study the delivery of special education and other support services in Vermont school districts. The Panel's primary goal has been to review the programs and practices in selected school districts and to provide both the districts and the State with recommendations for more effectively meeting the needs of all students at a reasonable cost. The Educational Support System is considered to be part of the overall school's general education program. Although students with disabilities benefit from the supports and services provided through the ESS, the Educational Support System, is not a special education activity. Rather, its focus is on the provision of assistance, early intervention and prevention. Based on the assumption that comprehensive early intervention and schoolwide supports may reduce and/or prevent the eventual need for special education services, Vermont's Educational Support System requirement is intended to benefit and support the instructional needs of the increasingly diverse student population experienced by today's schools and communities before special education becomes necessary. Implications for Vermont policymakers and its strategy for other states are examined.