Database of Federally Funded Technical Assistance and Research Centers

National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)

The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) provides technical assistance to meet the needs of children (birth to 21) with deaf-blindness in five initiative areas: early identification and intervention; family engagement; interveners and qualified personnel; transition; and assessment, planning, and instruction. It's universal, targeted, and intensive TA is conducted in concert with state deaf-blind projects throughout the U. S., and with national family organizations. NCDB has an extensive website with information and products to support its TA as well as relevant information on deaf-blindness of use to families, service providers, and the general public.

Director(s): Linda McDowell, Ph.D., Co-Director, Samuel Morgan, Ed.D., Co-Director

Specialty Area

  • Career and Technical Education
  • Deaf-Blindness
  • Early Childhood Educators
  • Educator Effectiveness
  • Educator Preparation
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Family Engagement
  • Intensive Supports

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • Families
  • School Districts
  • Schools
  • State Education Agencies
  • Teachers

Services

  • Consulting
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation

Regions/States

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional Information

Other Primary Audiences: State Deaf-Blind Projects

Other Services Provided: Assisting State Deaf-Blind Projects to Implement Systems Change in Their States; Assisting State Deaf-Blind Projects to Provide Effective Child-Specific TA to Educational Teams; Comprehensive Website on Deaf-Blindness and Technical Assistance

Other Specialty Areas: Early Identification and Intervention; Transition to Adulthood; Assessment; Planning and Instruction; Annual Child Count of Children Who Are Deaf-Blind; Supporting Intervener Services Infrastructure

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.

Director(s): David Test, UNC Charlotte, Paula Kohler, University of Central Florida, Deanne Unruh, University of Oregon

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

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional 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

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest (REL Southwest) provides research, technical support, and dissemination activities to State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in our region to improve the use of data and research evidence to inform practice and policy decisions.

Director(s): Michael Vaden-Kiernan, Director, Lynn Mellor, Deputy Director

Specialty Area

  • Career and Technical Education
  • Early Childhood Educators
  • Early Childhood Leadership
  • Educator Effectiveness
  • Educator Preparation
  • Educator Retention
  • English Language Learners
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • School Districts
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Assessment Tools
  • Coaching
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Regions/States

Southwest

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: College and Career Readiness; Teacher Preparation and Professional Development; Early Childhood Education; Networked Improvement Communities; and School Improvement

Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Midwest partners with key stakeholders in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin 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.

Director(s): Carrie Scholz, Director

Specialty Area

  • 21st Century Skills
  • Alternative Routes to Certification
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Early Childhood Educators
  • Early Childhood Leadership
  • Education Leadership
  • Educator Effectiveness
  • Educator Preparation
  • Equity
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Organizational Leadership
  • School Climate & Behavior
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • System Alignment
  • Teacher Mentoring and Induction

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • School Districts
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Assessment Tools
  • Coaching
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Regions/States

Midwest

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: Educational Technology

Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic

The Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic (REL Mid-Atlantic) is one of 10 research centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences to partner with stakeholders in using evidence to improve teaching, learning, and school leadership. REL Mid-Atlantic translates research to practice in partnership with policymakers and practitioners in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Based on regional needs they provide training, coaching, and technical support to help apply high-quality evidence to education improvement initiatives. The lab also conducts, applies, and disseminates research and research-based technical assistance in collaboration with stakeholders in the region to promote continuous improvement of educational practice.

Based on the input from the region the work takes many forms:

  • Partnerships and alliances are formed and evolve
  • Conduct research studies to answer pressing questions for stakeholders in the region
  • Publications are released based on research studies conducted
  • Coaching and technical support workshops are collaborative activities conducted with stakeholders
  • Events are designed and supported to meet the needs of the region
  • Tools are developed through the work with stakeholders
  • Ask A REL responses are provided to inquiries from the region
Director(s): Brian Gill, Ph.D., J.D.

Specialty Area

  • Alternative Routes to Certification
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Early Childhood Educators
  • Early Childhood Leadership
  • Education Leadership
  • Educator Effectiveness
  • Educator Preparation
  • Educator Retention
  • Equity
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Family Engagement
  • Measuring Student Growth
  • Multi-tiered Systems of Support
  • Organizational Leadership
  • 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

Northeast

Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

No additional information provided

Regional Educational Laboratory Pacific

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific translates research to practice in partnership with policymakers and practitioners in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Director(s): Phillip Herman, Ph.D.

Specialty Area

  • Career and Technical Education
  • Cross-Disciplinary Competencies
  • Early Childhood Educators
  • Education Leadership
  • Educator Effectiveness
  • Educator Preparation
  • Educator Retention
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Family Engagement
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • System Alignment
  • Teacher Mentoring and Induction
  • Transitions (from grade to grade)

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • School Districts
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Assessment Tools
  • Coaching
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Regions/States

Pacific Islands

American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: College readiness; Developmental education; Culturally responsive education

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.

Director(s): Christopher Mazzeo, Director, Fiona Helsel, Deputy Director

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

Northwest

Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Services Provided: Dissemination of tools and research

Other Specialty Areas: STEM

Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia

Regional Educational Lab (REL) Appalachia partners with key stakeholders in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia 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

Director(s): Victoria Schaefer, Director

Specialty Area

  • 21st Century Skills
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Educator Effectiveness

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • School Districts
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Assessment Tools
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Regions/States

Southeast

Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: Dual Enrollment Courses