The 20th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is divided into four sections organized around a model which views educational results as products of three sets of factors: the context and environment in which the education is provided, student characteristics, and school programs and services. Section 1, on context/environmental factors, contains background information on the setting within which special education services are provided to children and youth with disabilities. Changes to IDEA resulting from the IDEA Amendments of 1997 are presented and the implementation of state accountability systems are described. Section 2, on student characteristics, explores five groups of students: infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities served under IDEA; students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA; the racial/ethnic composition of students with disabilities; gender as a factor in special education eligibility, services and results; and students with emotional disturbance. Section 3, on school programs and services, has five modules that examine some of the programs and services available within schools for students with disabilities and their families, including: (1) national trends in demand and shortage of special education teachers; (2) using Individualized Family Service Plans with preschoolers; (3) educational environment for students with disabilities; (4) funding for IDEA; and (5) state progress in the of interagency agreements. A fourth section, on student results, contains six modules that address: (1) standards-based reform and students with disabilities; (2) developing alternate assessments for students with disabilities; (3) secondary school completion for students with disabilities; (4) state improvement and monitoring; (5) performance indicators for special education; and (6) results for Regional Resource Centers' technical assistance to states. Extensive appendices provide datatables (child count, educational environments, personnel data, exiting data, population and enrollment data, financial data, and early intervention); summaries of state agency/federal evaluation studies; profiles of the program agenda; and activities of the regional resource centers. (Individual sections contain references.) (CR)