RRFC Portal - Special Education Resources

Special Education Resources

Clearinghouses

Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement
The CSR offers publications and research reports on how to assist public schools implement effective reforms, particularly in high-poverty or low-achieving areas. It is composed of 11 components to provide an organizing framework that allows schools to build on state and local initiatives and generate a comprehensive plan for improvement.

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)
ERIC offers a government-sponsored database with over 1.1 million documents on education resources, including journals and other literature.

National Center for Special Education Personnel & Related Service Providers
The NCPSE serves to disseminate information on careers in special education. It offers information and several publications.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHY)
NICHCY offers the latest educational and disability research, as well as publications on a variety of topics related to disabilities and education. In addition, NICHCY offers a children’s site for those children with disabilities.

The IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement
The IRIS Center was founded and continues to be maintained as a facility to serve college faculty in pre-service preparation programs, to ensure that general education teachers, school administrators, school nurses, and school counselors are prepared to work with students with disabilities and their families. The IRIS Center works closely with focus groups and members of each constituent group in order to further this end.

What Works Clearinghouse
On an ongoing basis, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) collects, screens, and identifies studies of the effectiveness of educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies). WWC reviews the studies that have the strongest design, and report on the strengths and weaknesses of those studies against the WWC Evidence Standards.

Communities of Practice

The TA Communities is one of several Communities of Practice available as part of the Office of Special Education Programs' (OSEP) Technical Assistance initiative that is dedicated to the exchange of strategies and ideas to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. The TA Communities has six communities that provide information and resources in six topical areas: (1) Data - Part B/C; (2) Exiting - Part B; (3) Identification - Part C; (4) Placement in Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - Part B; (5) Preschool LRE - Part B/619; and (6) Settings - Part C. Click on the links below to learn more about the individual communities.

Part B and C Data Systems
Part B Exiting
Part B LRE
Part B Section 619 Preschool LRE
Part C Child Identification
Part C Natural Environments and Settings

National Databases

IDEA Data
This web site provides the most recent data about children with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The data are collected annually by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in accordance with Section 618 of IDEA.

National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)
The study documents the experiences of a group of students who were ages 13 to 16 in 2000 as they transition from secondary school into adult roles. NLTS2 measures a broad range of areas including high school course work, extracurricular activities, academic performance, postsecondary education and training, employment, independent living, and community participation.

Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (peqis)
peqis provides information on a wide range of important topics including enrollment, persistence and attainment, support services, and accommodations on postsecondary students with disabilities.

Parent Training & Information Centers (PTI)

Parent centers serve families of children and young adults from birth to age 22 with all disabilities. They help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities, work to improve education results for all children, train and inform parents and professionals on a variety of topics, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies, and connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs. To find a parent center serving your state or jurisdiction, click here.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 May 2006 )

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