The paper reports on a court case in which the public school system was sighted in violation of the decree in Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia and which resulted in the development of the Child Study Center which provides assessments, identification, and placement of handicapped students by an interdisciplinary team. Among the concerns identified by a special assistant to the superintendent regarding the District of Columbia Public School System was the need for a centralized services center. Among the advancements made in complying with the needs identified in the court order and the Mills decree were a comprehensive study of special education and pupil personnel services, development of comprehensive curricula for special education, implementation of a parent group, and implementation of a Hearing Committee to review special education cases. Success of the Child Study Center included cross discipline planning, articulation, and communication among personnel; cooperation between District of Columbia Public Schools' staff and the Department of Human Services; increased overall accountability of personnel; and involvement of advocates for the handicapped in the development, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs and services. (SB)