The Learning Disabilities Association of America is proud to be a member of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), a collaborative organization dedicated to providing leadership and resources that enhance outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities. Read NJCLD’s statement on the vital role of the U.S. Department of Education in ensuring equal access to education and removing barriers for all students, including those with learning disabilities.
National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, www.njcld.org
The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) supports the function and role of the US Department of Education (ED) as it strives to guarantee every student receives a high-quality education that meets rigorous academic standards regardless of status. In order to ensure every student is both college- and career-ready, as well as a productive citizen in the competitive global market, the ED is vital in fostering educational excellence.
The NJCLD supports the role of the ED’s oversight of education policies and programs at the state and local level, which promotes high standards and seeks to remove barriers to ensure access to educational opportunities for all students, including those with learning disabilities, across the lifespan.
The ED provides regulatory guidance, oversight and funding to State and Local Education Agencies (SEAs and LEAs) to assist them in meeting federal education laws such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), and the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). While education agencies should have the flexibility to implement policies specific to their communities, the ED plays a critical role in managing practices consistent with applicable federal legislation.
The ED, through the Office for Civil Rights, also works to prohibit discrimination and ensure equal access to education for all students in preschool through postsecondary education. By monitoring compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA 2008), and the Higher Education Act (HEA), the ED plays a critical role in the development of policies that impact all students, including students with disabilities, students in poverty, English Learners (ELs), and other students at risk.
Additionally, research and innovation are an integral part of the role of ED. Through financial resources and grant monies distributed by the Institute for Education Science (IES), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the ED fosters research and innovation at the federal level. ED then disseminates the results to assist stakeholders in the decision-making process, including through higher education, which is made financially accessible for all students through the federal student loan program.
The ED provides resources and data that improve the quality of education for all students by sustaining and expanding high-quality research on effective instruction including examining oral language, listening and reading comprehension, mathematics, written expression, and social-behavioral competence; reliable and valid assessment processes; and appropriate accommodations.
NJCLD recognizes that high-quality, evidence-based general education for all students is in the best interests of students with learning and other disabilities. NJCLD member organizations are committed to improving results and outcomes for people with disabilities of all ages. NJCLD supports programs that serve millions of individuals with disabilities, as well as their families. The ED’s oversight ensures compliance with federal disability education policies that help improve results and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
This is an official document of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD). The following are the member organizations of the NJCLD: Academic Language Therapy Association, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Association of Educational Therapists, Association on Higher Education and Disability, Council for Learning Disabilities, Division for Communicative Disabilities and Deafness, Division for Learning Disabilities, International Dyslexia Association, Learning Disabilities Association of America, National Association of School Psychologists, National Center for Learning Disabilities, and The Reading League.
The mission of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) is to provide multi organizational leadership and resources to optimize outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities.
