Students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders are more likely to engage in criminal and delinquent behaviors and be incarcerated than are other young people (Kelley, Loeber, Keenan, & DeLamatre, 1997). In addition, many children in the juvenile justice system have an identified learning or behavioral disability.

Consistent with the Action Plan's emphasis on providing opportunities for children and youth, including youth with disabilities, the Coordinating Council supports the work of the National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ). The Center is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Programs, and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Additional support for the Center comes from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. Through a variety of activities, the Center seeks to develop more effective responses to the needs of youth with disabilities who are currently in, or at high risk for involvement in, the juvenile justice system. The Center's primary purpose is to identify and develop effective school and community-based prevention efforts, education programs in juvenile correctional facilities, and transitional services for youth as they leave the corrections system. Center activities include:

• Evaluation of the current state of policies and practices in the juvenile justice system.

• Synthesis of relevant research findings in delinquency prevention.

• Development of criteria for exemplary educational programs within the juvenile justice system.

• Establishment of a coordinated network of resources.

• Production of model blueprints that address EDJJ's three areas of focus.

• Dissemination of products and information.