The purpose of this doctoral project was to conduct a policy analysis of two federal laws affecting public education today-- the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. The common themes of both pieces of legislation and the congruent and the incongruent mandates required by each law were considered. Each law was enacted to increase the accountability of public schools in providing a high quality education to all students. This project identified the issues that challenge public school administrators as they seek to implement the mandates of both laws on a daily basis in the public school classroom. This project first examined the historical development of education in the United States. As a result, four historical standards of education were identified: local versus federal control, free public education, closing the achievement gap, and the financial burden of federal mandates on local educational agencies (LEA). Applications of these four standards were then applied to each of the two pieces of legislation in question--the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This project identified the disparities between the provisions of the legislative mandates. It also identified recommendations for educators to comply with the mandates of each law simultaneously while improving student achievement. Throughout this project several challenges were identified that the public school educator faces in implementing the mandates of these federal pieces of legislation, including: Highly qualified teachers; Instructional methodology, assessments, subgroups, and lack of funding. Difficulties that surfaced included a shortage of highly qualified teachers; meeting AYP in each subgroup including disabled and limited English proficient students; appropriate assessments for all students including disabled and limited English proficient students; duplication of services; proper instructional methodology; and the reexamination of financial resources. Thirty-six recommendations were presented for consideration to address these areas. Recommendations ranged from testifying at reauthorization hearing, personnel recruitment practices, assessment processes, instructional methodology suggestions, and financial advice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]