Drawing data from 20 school districts in 8 states, this study assessed the collective impact of federal categorical programs and related civil rights mandates on 6 problem areas in local school districts. Interviews with a variety of respondents in local districts focused on the federal laws' effects on instructional services for target students, possible instructional fragmentation, degrees of interruption or impoverishment of regular classroom programs, influences on school management procedures, and district-level decision-making. Conclusions and policy implications reflect the cumulative effects of federal policy. (JW)