CEC’s Partners Reflect on 50 Years of IDEA: Goalbook
November 29, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Originally passed as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, this landmark legislation guarantees every student with a disability the right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Over the past five decades, IDEA has opened classroom doors and transformed lives—ensuring that millions of children and youth receive the education they deserve.
As we commemorate this milestone, CEC is inviting our partners to share their stories—reflecting on their contributions to special education and how IDEA has shaped their work and impact. Goalbook provides research-based software to create Individualized Education Plans (IEP) that offer measurable standard-aligned goals. With Goalbook, educators can develop data-driven present levels and implement specially designed instruction.
Goalbook’s Contribution
Goalbook’s core contribution to the special education community is empowering educators to fully realize the promise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is primarily achieved through our holistic, research-based solution, Goalbook Toolkit, that supports educators and IEP teams by creating high-quality, instructionally sound Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
Goalbook Toolkit is an integrated solution that puts the “Golden Thread” of special education into practice—ensuring strong coherence between a student’s present levels of performance, measurable annual goals, and the provision of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI). Goalbook Toolkit includes thousands of actionable, research-based strategies, implementation tips, and progress monitoring assessments aligned to each student’s needs that teachers can immediately implement.
Our impact is validated by more than 1,100 school districts in 47 states. Over 10 years of ESSA-aligned evidence shows that access to Goalbook Toolkit improves IEP quality, has a positive impact on teacher effectiveness, and leads to quantifiable increases in student outcomes in reading and math. Crucially, we enhance special educator efficacy and efficiency, serving as a critical support in the retention of the special education workforce. Beyond our product, we provide in-depth, ongoing professional development to special education leaders and contribute to thought leadership on ensuring equity and access for students with disabilities.”
"Goalbook is fundamentally committed to IDEA's pursuit of the equality of opportunity and full participation of our students with disabilities. We are proud to be a CEC endorsed solution that empowers educators to apply research-based best practices in IEP development and specially designed instruction." -Daniel Jhin Yoo, Co-founder & CEO of Goalbook
Reflections on 50 Years of IDEA
“Goalbook’s mission is fundamentally shaped by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is the affirmation of the human dignity of every child with a disability and the guarantee of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). As we celebrate 50 years, we are dedicated to ensuring this promise is met through the human connection and instructional practice of every educator. We believe the greatest driver of student success is empowered and effective special educators.
Goalbook exists to maximize this human impact. Our work is dedicated to building the professional capacity of educators, who are the essential instructional lever for student success. Through our holistic solution, Goalbook Toolkit, we empower teachers to go beyond compliance by providing them with resources to actively transform instruction. This means enabling them to create cohesive, high-quality Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and deliver effective, Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)— ultimately ensuring that every student achieves their fullest potential, exactly as IDEA intended.
Goalbook directly supports the special educator's professional development by augmenting their expertise with research-backed practices. Rather than replacing the teacher, we serve as an essential resource that cultivates high educator efficacy, enabling teachers to feel confident and effective in their critical work. This emphasis on human capacity is what truly transforms outcomes. We provide the scaffolding necessary for educators to consistently apply high-leverage, evidence-based practices in their classrooms, moving them from feeling overwhelmed by paperwork to feeling deeply effective in their craft. This focus on building the human capacity of the teacher is our definitive commitment to realizing IDEA’s vision.”
Testimonials
“Goalbook has been a critical partner in helping us ensure our district prepares every student to be college, career, and life ready. Goalbook's tools and professional development support our instructional aspirations around designing learning experiences for access and agency, while maintaining the high level of cognitive demand that our children deserve.” –Tommy Chang, Ed.D. Former Superintendent
