Book excerpt: National Goals is America's first effort to assess the status of the nation with regards to its fulfillment of research goals for persons with intellectual disabilities in areas such as education, positive behavior support, biomedical research, technology, transition planning, health supports, employment, self advocacy, aging, and community supports. The state of the knowledge and research contained in the book in areas such as education, positive behavior support, health supports, biomedical research, technology, and aging makes it an indispensable resource to anyone delivering quality care and services to citizens with intellectual disabilities. The book comes out of a groundbreaking, federal conference held in 2003. America's prominent leaders in the intellectual disability met in Washington, DC to review what this nation knows and needs to learn specifically in the area of research to fulfill the promises made to persons with developmental disabilities. In the words of the authors, research plays a central role in defining and achieving national goals for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. To be useful, this research must provide accessible, relevant information to people with disabilities and their families, professionals, the general public, and public officials. The result is a book that distills scientific research into comprehensible and accessible information so that key stake holders can align the reality of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities with public policy--the clear and unambiguous promises made to them in the national legislation, court decisions, promises of the President, and other sources of national policy.