Database of Federally Funded Technical Assistance and Research Centers

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) is your central “Hub” of information and products created for the network of Parent Centers serving families of children with disabilities.

All the materials found on the CPIR Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve. The CPIR employs a user-centered process, gathering the perspectives of our experienced audience—Parent Center staff members and other experts—every step of the way, to create products and services that increase Parent Centers’ knowledge and capacity in specific domains.

There are nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs)and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs)in the US and Territories who are working with families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, birth to 26 and are helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development. They partner with professionals and policy makers to improve outcomes for all children with disabilities.  This resource will link you to the "Find Your Parent Center" database which is hosted by the Center for Parent Information & Resources.

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.

Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West serves four states: Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. To address the priorities and interests in these states, REL West works in partnership with school districts, state departments of education, and others to use data and research to improve academic outcomes for students. Each partnership focuses on one or more of the following four regional priority topics: educator development, early learning, postsecondary pathways, and support of the whole child.

While schools, districts, state and local support agencies, and other education stakeholders in REL West’s four-state region share many priorities, their specific challenges and needs for research and support can vary. Accordingly, REL West engages in systematic, ongoing assessment of regional education needs to determine how best to target research and provide research-based information, analysis, and analytic support. 

REL West's needs-sensing approaches include:
•    Actively soliciting input from state and local decisionmakers.
•    Analyzing data and policy trends.
•    Examining educator and policymaker requests for assistance.
•    Collaborating with regional Comprehensive Centers.
•    Working with our partners to determine unmet needs.

In response to the diverse needs and priorities of our nine partnerships, REL West engages in a broad range of work. Through in-depth training, coaching, and analytic support, we build the capacity of our partners to address a variety of issues. These include: tackling the complexities of cross-sector data sharing and data use; learning to make evidence-based policy and practice decisions; and addressing challenges that are context- and region-specific, including those unique to rural entities. In addition, REL West conducts applied research that is integrated with the training, coaching, and analytic support we conduct with our partners.

The Regional PTACs help OSEP’s funded network of Parent Centers address administrative/management challenges and increase their capacities to provide information and training to families of children with disabilities.  This resource takes you to the Center for Parent Information & Resources site where you can find more information about the four Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers.

Some of the Technical Assistance (TA) Services RPTACs provide to Parent Centers include:

• One-to-one consultations 
• Training/Webinars 
• Training for non-profit board training members 
• Help with needs assessment 
• Peer-to-peer mentoring 
• TA using technology to enhance programs and services 
• Regional meetings and conferences 
• Site visits  
• Non-profit management tools 
• Newsletters  
• Family- and Youth-centered service strategies