The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21. OSEP, directly and through its partners and grantees, develops a wide range of research-based products, publications, and resources to assist states, local district personnel, and families to improve results for students with disabilities. LEARN MORE
IMPORTANT
The osepideasthatwork.org website will retire by the end of September 2024. Information will be available on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) moving forward. Please contact your OSEP Project Officer or OSEP State Lead for more information. Thank you!
Mark Your Calendar
2023-2024 OSERS Symposia Series
Thursday, September 12, 1-2:30 ET
Each year, OSERS conducts a Symposium Series to provide high-quality, timely, and evidence-based strategies focused on improving performance in a specific topic. The second symposium Beyond the IDEA and WIOA Requirements: Knowing what to expect when it matters! will look beyond the requirements of IDEA and WIOA to maximize the experiences and opportunities for children, youth and young adults with disabilities and their families.
2024 Smart Beginnings Virtual Conference Registration Now Open
August 27-26, 2024
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) will be hosting the Smart Beginnings 2024 webinar series August 27 - 29, 2024. The webinars will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about resources for promoting effective early intervention and instruction using data-driven decision-making to support early learners and students with disabilities as we head into a new learning year.
Spotlight
OSEP hosted its second webinar highlighting how federal agencies, state agencies, and local programs can work together to support families of infants and toddlers with disabilities during the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C eligibility process. This session focused on providing strategies and resources for implementing effective evaluation and assessment processes and for determining and communicating Part C eligibility criteria.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has a new resource listing its Technical Assistance Centers including new centers that were funded in FY 2023.
On October 25, 2023 OSERS hosted the first of its 2023-2024 symposia series with an opportunity for the field to meet and join OSERS in the challenge to raise expectations, engage families earlier, and fully empower all individuals who support transition services to improve postschool outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families. The archived webinar has been posted to the Expect, Engage, Empower page and additional resources have been added to the database.
OSERS/OSEP released guidance that describes practices in early childhood and school programs that can be used to prevent and respond to interfering behavior. Schools and early childhood programs can use the guidance to support children with disabilities and address disparities in the use of exclusionary discipline.
Leadership Conference
The Leadership Conference enhances leadership roles through opportunities to hear from experts in the field and to learn about evidence-based practices that will support participants’ ability to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities and their families.
Learn moreProject Directors' Conference
The Project Directors’ Conference supports OSEP’s goal of improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities, and their families.
Learn moreSymposia Series Archive
Each year, OSEP conducts a virtual Symposia Series to provide high-quality, timely, and evidence-based strategies focused on improving performance in a specific topic.
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