Over the years, CLE staff plays a large role in the development of virtually every major piece of education legislation and regulation affecting poor children. Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President and threatens drastic cuts in federal education spending, along with the elimination of federally funded legal services for poor people, including the Center for Law and Education. A Congressional amendment to bar legal services programs from representing students and parents in education cases is narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives. 1984 CLE establishes the Project for the Advancement of School-Related Mediation with funding from the National Institute for Dispute Resolution. This project is one of the first efforts to analyze the practical and ethical issues associated with the use of mediation to resolved school-related disputes.
CLE hosts a national conference on the topic.
The Education Law Bulletin , published by CLE, celebrates its 10th anniversary. This unparalleled resources is a comprehensive compilation of case summaries in education law. In 1985, CLE produces a special 231-page Bulletin about the legal issues surrounding the education of students with disabilities. Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act is enacted, extending a broad range of services to developmentally delayed infants below the age of three, including a CLE-sponsored initiative giving states the option to include infants who are at risk of developmental delay. CLE also takes the lead in enactment of the Handicapped Children's Protection Act, which overturned a Supreme Court decision and restored remedies for parents of children with disabilities whose rights are violated.