John H. Hager could not have picked a busier time to join the Department of Education as head of the office of special education and rehabilitative services.

After two years of wrangling, Congress reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act last Nov. 19. A day later, the Senate confirmed Mr. Hager as the assistant secretary in charge of the department's special education office, which administers the IDEA and a multitude of other programs.

Two months later, the Ed...