In this book, the Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities addresses standards-based reform and the education of students with disabilities, and presents recommendations to states and communities that seek to make these reforms consistent with current policies and practice in special education. The first chapter provides an overview of the committee's study of standards-based reform and students with disabilities. Chapter 2 compares the federal and state policy frameworks supporting standards-based reforms and special education, discusses the difficulties of translating policy into practice, and analyzes the incentives each framework creates for serving students with disabilities. Chapter 3 describes the heterogeneity of students with disabilities and considers how this may affect their participation in standards-based reforms. An overview of post-school outcomes is presented in chapter 4, along with curricular and instructional issues for students with disabilities and their relationship to the standards. Chapter 5 analyzes the use of large-scale assessments for measuring student progress relative to state standards and for ensuring that the education system is publicly accountable. The last chapter presents the committee's 12 recommendations. Appendices include a summary of a workshop on students with disabilities and standards-based reform. (Contains over 500 references.) (CR)