The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the main federal statute governing special education and early intervention services for children with disabilities from birth through age 21.1 IDEA consists of four parts. Part A contains general provisions, including the purposes of the act and definitions. Part B contains provisions relating to the education of school aged children (the grants-to-states program; Section 611) and the state grants program for preschool children with disabilities (Section 619). Part C authorizes state grants for programs serving infants and toddlers with disabilities. Part D contains the requirements for various national activities designed to improve the education of children with disabilities. The grant programs authorized under Part B of the IDEA provide federal funding to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to support the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities ages 3 through 21. Under Part B of the IDEA, a series of conditions are attached to the receipt of grant funds. These conditions aim to provide certain educational and procedural guarantees for children with disabilities and their families. Three of the main purposes of IDEA are (1) to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living; (2) to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected; and (3) to assist states, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities. This report focuses on how these purposes are to be achieved under Part B of IDEA. The first purpose is addressed primarily in the "Services for Children with Disabilities" section, the second is addressed in the "Procedural Safeguards" section, and the third is addressed in the "Funding, Expenditure Requirements, and Compliance" section.