The National Center on Dispute Resolution (CADRE) serves as the National Center on Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education on behalf of the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. CADRE works to increase the nation’s capacity to prevent and resolve special education and early intervention disputes by fostering productive home/school/provider partnerships and the use of collaborative processes to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. CADRE assists states with implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) procedural safeguards provisions and the development of high-performing dispute resolution systems through the identification and dissemination of exemplary practices related to program design, implementation, evaluation and improvement.
Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE)
Specialty Area
- Alternative Dispute Resolutions
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Districts
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Other Services Provided: Communication; relationship building workshops; and trainings; Systems analysis and improvement
Other Specialty Areas: Dispute Resolution; Conflict Prevention
Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center)
The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center) is a national technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). DaSy Center works with states to support IDEA early intervention and early childhood special education state programs in the development or enhancement of coordinated early childhood longitudinal data systems.
DaSy Canter provides technical assistance (TA) and resources to state agencies to assist with the development or enhancement of data systems for Part C early intervention and Part B preschool special education programs supported through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The DaSy Center collaborates with other projects to leverage what is known and generate new ideas and products to help state agencies create and expand early childhood cross-agency and longitudinal data systems that include the Part C and Part B preschool data needed to collect, analyze, and report high-quality data required under IDEA. We offer a range of supports based on our clients needs including intensive and targeted TA as well as opportunities to join DaSy Center led communities of practice or attend webinars.
Specialty Area
- Data Systems
- Early Childhood Educators
- Early Childhood Leadership
- Education Leadership
- Educator Effectiveness
- Educator Preparation
- Educator Retention
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- Measuring Student Growth
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Organizational Leadership
- Part B – 619
- Part C
- Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
- Response to Intervention
- Social and Emotional Learning
- System Alignment
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
Tiered, UniversalAdditional Information
Other Services Provided: National Technical Assistance (TA)
Other Specialty Areas: IDEA Part C Data Systems; IDEA Part B-619 Data Systems
Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL)
The Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL)is serving as the National Center to Improve Faculty Capacity to Use Educational Technology in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel Preparation and Leadership Personnel Preparation Programs. We are primarily focused on the following activities:
- Increasing knowledge, adoption, and use of a range of educational technologies that can be used for educator, related service, or leadership preparation programs;
- Increasing capacity of faculty at institutions of higher education (IHE) to use a range of educational technologies in educator, related service, or leadership preparation programs;
- Sustaining professional learning networks related to educational technology in educator, related service, and leadership preparation programs.
Specialty Area
- Educational Technology
- Personal Preparation
Primary Audience
- School Counselors
- Schools
- Teachers
Services
- Content Expertise
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
GeneralAdditional Information
Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES)
The Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) aims to empower school districts to build and maintain technology systems that include every student, particularly children and youth with disabilities who require assistive technology and accessible materials. The CITES Framework is a helpful guide that encourages positive change within a district. It works alongside technology and instructional efforts already in place, bringing together experts and coaches at various levels to assist local teams in making and maintaining inclusive technology systems.
Specialty Area
- Educational Technology
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Research
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
GeneralAdditional Information
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS Center)
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) supports schools, districts, and states to build systems capacity for implementing a multi-tiered approach to social, emotional and behavior support. The broad purpose of PBIS is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools and other agencies. PBIS improves social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.
Specialty Area
- Education Leadership
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- Intensive Supports
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Organizational Leadership
- Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
- Response to Intervention
- School Climate & Behavior
- School Mental Health
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Special Education
- System Alignment
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Research
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
GeneralAdditional Information
Other Specialty Areas: Implementation Science; Prevention Science
Innovative Technology for Early Childhood Assessment (INTECA)
The purpose of the project is to increase the body of knowledge on equitable and innovative approaches for implementing and integrating technology into informal and formal authentic early childhood assessments and to build capacity of the field to use technology to support authentic assessment through disseminating tools, methods, and frameworks.
Specialty Area
- Educational Technology
- Part C
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
GeneralAdditional Information
IRIS Center
The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities, by developing free, online resources about effective evidence-based practices and interventions.
IRIS Modules, our center's signature resource, are developed using adult learning theory and translate the latest research findings into easily understandable, practitioner-friendly language in an interactive, engaging format. Other wraparound resources--case studies, information briefs, fundamental skill sheets, video vignettes--allow learners to delve into module topics in more depth.
Specialty Area
- Early Childhood Educators
- Educator Effectiveness
- Educator Preparation
- Educator Retention
- Effective Instruction
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Intensive Supports
- Measuring Student Growth
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
- Response to Intervention
- Teacher Mentoring and Induction
- Translating Research to Practice
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- School Counselors
- Teachers
Services
- Content Expertise
- Research
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
UniversalAdditional Information
Other Audiences: College and university faculty; professional development providers
Other Services Provided: Free; online; interactive resources
Other Specialty Areas: Accommodations; assessment; assistive technology; collaboration; content instruction; differentiated instruction; disability; diversity; juvenile corrections; learning strategies; mathematics; reading/literacy/language arts; related services; school improvement/leadership; secondary transition
Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center
The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center is one of four regional Equity Assistance Centers. This center is funded by the United States Department of Education under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The center provides technical assistance and training, upon request, in the areas of race, sex, national origin and religion to public school districts and other responsible governmental agencies to promote equitable education opportunities. Work focuses on the areas of civil rights, equity, and school reform.
Specialty Area
- Alternative Routes to Certification
- Educator Effectiveness
- Equity
- Family Engagement
- School Climate & Behavior
- School Mental Health
- System Alignment
Primary Audience
- School Districts
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
- Research
Regions/States
MidwestIllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Technical Assistance Centers
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning
The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center) at CAST is a knowledge-development, information dissemination, and technical assistance project whose activities and actions are designed to:
- Expand and disseminate knowledge about Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and technologies among key stakeholder groups.
- Increase AEM Center stakeholders’ skills; and motivation.
- Improve and enhance the organizational, material and structural capacities of AEM stakeholders so that they effectively use AEM resources.
The overall goal established by CAST and OSEP pertains to improvements in the availability and use of accessible educational materials and technologies for learning.
Specialty Area
- Accessible Education Materials
- Equity
- Family Engagement
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Response to Intervention
- Transitions (from grade to grade)
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
Regions/States
NationalAlaska, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Texas
Level of Support
IntensiveAdditional Information
Other Primary Audiences: Higher Education; Workforce Development; Publishers; EdTech Developers
Technical Assistance and Training
Other Specialty Areas: Access to AEM and assistive technology; Policy
National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII)
The Mission of the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) is to build the capacity of state and local education agencies, universities, practitioners, and other stakeholders to support implementation of intensive intervention in literacy, mathematics, and behavior for students with severe and persistent learning and/or behavioral needs, often in the context of their multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) or special education services. NCII’s approach to intensive intervention is data-based individualization (DBI), a research-based process that integrates the systematic use of assessment data, validated interventions, and intensification strategies.
Specialty Area
- Educator Preparation
- Effective Instruction
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- Intensive Supports
- Measuring Student Growth
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
- Response to Intervention
- School Climate & Behavior
- Special Education
- System Alignment
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Other Specialty Areas: Intensive Intervention; Data-based Individualization
National Center on Systemic Improvement (NCSI)
The National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) helps states transform their systems to improve outcomes for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. NCSI provides states with technical assistance to support development, implementation and evaluation of their 6-year state systemic improvement plan and build capacity among their school districts and local early intervention service programs to improve educational results and functional outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.
Specialty Area
- Early Childhood Educators
- Early Childhood Leadership
- Education Leadership
- Educator Effectiveness
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- Measuring Student Growth
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Response to Intervention
- Social and Emotional Learning
- System Alignment
- Transforming State Systems
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
- Research
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Other Specialty Areas: Systems Change; Students with Disabilities
National Instructional Materials Access Center
Created by IDEA 2004, the NIMAC is a federally-funded, searchable online repository of source files for K-12 instructional materials. We receive files in the XML-based NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) format, and states use these materials in the production of accessible formats such as braille, large print, and digital text. The NIMAC currently has over 74,000 files from more than 160 publishers.
Specialty Area
- Accessible Education Materials
- Educational Technology
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Content Expertise
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
GeneralAdditional Information
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C)
The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C) is a Technical Assistance Center co-funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). They provide information, tools, and supports to assist multiple stakeholders in delivering effective services and instruction for secondary students and out of school youth with disabilities.
Specialty Area
- 21st Century Skills
- Career and Technical Education
- Education Leadership
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- Organizational Leadership
- School Climate & Behavior
- School Mental Health
- Secondary Transition
- Special Education
- Transitions (from grade to grade)
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Other Primary Audiences: State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies; Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors; Secondary Students with Disabilities
Other Specialty Areas: Transition to post-school environments; Data Analysis and Use
PROGRESS Center
PROGRESS Center (which stands for Promoting Rigorous Outcomes and Growth by Redesigning Educational Services for Students With Disabilities Center) provides information, resources, tools, and technical assistance services to support local educators and leaders (kindergarten through transition age) in developing and implementing high-quality educational programs that ensure students with disabilities have access to free appropriate public education (FAPE) which allows them to make progress and meet challenging goals, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017).
Specialty Area
- English Language Learners
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Family Engagement
- High-Quality Educational Programming
- Intensive Supports
- Measuring Student Growth
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support
- Response to Intervention
- Special Education
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Consulting
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
Regions/States
NationalAll States
Level of Support
TieredAdditional Information
Private and charter school associations and entities
Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands
Regional Educational Lab (REL) Northeast & Islands partners with key stakeholders in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virgin Islands to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice. Key stakeholders include organizations with decision-making authority and the ability to influence education policy and practice, such as state and local education agencies, school boards, institutes of higher education, and student, family, and community organizations. RELs partner with these organizations on applied research and development; training, coaching and technical supports; and dissemination.
Specialty Area
- 21st Century Skills
- Early Childhood Educators
- Early Childhood Leadership
- Education Leadership
- Educator Effectiveness
- Educator Preparation
- Educator Retention
- English Language Learners
- Response to Intervention
- School Climate & Behavior
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Teacher Mentoring and Induction
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- School Districts
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
- Research
Regions/States
NortheastConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont
Level of Support
IntensiveAdditional Information
No additional information provided
Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest
The Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest (REL Northwest) is operated by Education Northwest in Portland, Oregon. REL Northwest focuses on building the capacity of stakeholders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to use data and evidence to inform decisions related to their specific education-related needs.
REL Northwest's services include the provision of training, coaching, and technical support; conducting applied research studies; and disseminating information in various content areas, but particularly in five high-leverage areas of need in the region: equitable start in learning, appropriate supports for English learners, high school graduation and post-secondary education success, supply and development of effective educators, and accountability system design and implementation.
The majority of our work is currently conducted with stakeholders in 12 research partnerships throughout the region. However, REL Northwest also conducts work with stakeholders that are not affiliated with a particular research partnership.
Specialty Area
- Alternative Routes to Certification
- Career and Technical Education
- Early Childhood Educators
- Early Childhood Leadership
- Education Leadership
- Educator Effectiveness
- Educator Preparation
- Educator Retention
- English Language Learners
- Equity
- Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
- Organizational Leadership
- P-3 Systems (Prenatal to Grade 3)
- Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS)
- School Climate & Behavior
- School Mental Health
- Social and Emotional Learning
- System Alignment
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- School Districts
- State Education Agencies
Services
- Assessment Tools
- Coaching
- Content Expertise
- Convening Stakeholders
- Facilitation
- Research
Regions/States
NorthwestAlaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Level of Support
IntensiveAdditional Information
Other Services Provided: Dissemination of tools and research
Other Specialty Areas: STEM
STEMIE: Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education
he STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMI2E2) Center aims to:
- Develop and enhance the knowledge base on engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning opportunities for young children with disabilities (O-5);
- Implement high-quality technical assistance and professional development to increase engagement for young children with disabilities in STEM opportunities; and
- Engage partners and stakeholders from diverse disciplines and industry in work to increase the inclusion of young children with disabilities in early high-quality STEM learning experiences.
Specialty Area
- Educational Technology
- Inclusive Practices
Primary Audience
- Administrators
- Families
- School Counselors
- School Districts
- Schools
- State Education Agencies
- Teachers
Services
- Content Expertise
Regions/States
NationalAll States