This document provides answers to questions frequently asked by parents and practitioners about the mandates and requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA). The 29 questions are organized into six sections: (1) background information on the IDEA (history of IDEA, and obtaining copies of IDEA and specific state laws); (2) purposes of the IDEA (meanings of such concepts as "free appropriate public education," eligibility for services, special education, and related services); (3) accessing services under IDEA (the student evaluation process); (4) the Individualized Education Program (IEP development, parent involvement, student placement); (5) procedural safeguards (the parent's rights in challenging the school district's decisions) and (6) resources (legal resources, resources available from the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, and references). An attachment presents the full text of IDEA's definition of a "child with a disability." (DB)