Database of Federally Funded Technical Assistance and Research Centers

CEEDAR Center: Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform

The CEEDAR Center: Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR) is designed to help State Education Agencies (SEAs), Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) create aligned professional learning systems that provide teachers and leaders effective opportunities to learn how to improve core and specialized instruction in inclusive settings that enable students with disabilities to achieve college and career ready standards. The technical assistance (TA) effort is organized around universal, targeted, and intensive TA supports. AIR, as subcontractor to University of Florida, is taking the lead in intensive TA.

The Center provides intensive TA supports to 20 states. Intensive TA services, tailored to the needs of each state, seek to reform and align the areas of licensure standards, teacher and leader preparation and induction, and personnel evaluation data systems to inform preparation program improvement. CEEDAR provides responsive technical assistance through knowledge building of evidence-based research and practice. CEEDAR also supports implementation of the research into school-based instruction and practices through online tools and resources, leadership development, collaborative teams of stakeholders, and ongoing learning opportunities.

Director(s): Mary Brownell, University of Florida, Lynn Holdheide, AIR

Specialty Area

  • Alternative Routes to Certification
  • Education Leadership
  • Educator Preparation
  • Equity
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Multi-tiered Systems of Support
  • Personal Preparation
  • System Alignment

Primary Audience

  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Consulting
  • Content Expertise
  • Convening Stakeholders
  • Facilitation

Regions/States

National

Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional Information

Other Services Provided: CEEDAR operates in the policy lever areas of educator preparation reform; certification and licensure; and preparation program evaluation; approval; and/or review (including data systems). Additionally; we have areas of emphasis; within those policy areas that include data collection and use; state systems alignment; and equity and access.

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. 

Director(s): Kathleen Hebbler, Donna Spiker

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

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered, Universal

Additional Information

Other Services Provided: National Technical Assistance (TA)

Other Specialty Areas: IDEA Part C Data Systems; IDEA Part B-619 Data Systems

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.

Director(s): Heather George, Tim Lewis, Kent McIntosh, Brandi Simonsen

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

National

All States

Level of Support

General

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: Implementation Science; Prevention Science

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.

Director(s): Kathleen King Thorius, Ph.D., Seena Skelton, Ph.D.

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

Midwest

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional Information

Technical Assistance Centers

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.

Director(s): Rebecca Zumeta Edmonds, Ph.D., Center Director, Sarah Arden, Ph.D., Deputy Director

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

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional 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.

Director(s): Rorie Fitzpatrick, Project Director

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

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional Information

Other Specialty Areas: Systems Change; Students with Disabilities

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 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

State Implementation and Scaling up of Evidence Based Practices Center (SISEP)

The purpose of the State Implementation and Scaling up of Evidence Based Practices Center (SISEP) is to help to establish implementation and scaling capacity in State, regional, and district educational systems.  SISEP provides content and technical assistance toward establishing large-scale, sustainable, high-fidelity implementation of effective education practices.  Our shared goal is to maximize academic and social outcomes of all students, especially those students with disabilities.

The SISEP Center provides States, Regional, and Local Education Agencies with:

  • Intensive technical assistance to establish an effective and affordable infrastructure to support implementation of evidence based programs
  • Coordinated and shared professional learning via webinars and communities of practice
  • Online and off-line coaching, teaching and education about implementation, scaling, and system reinvention
  • Tools and resources for conducting this work, including formative and summative evaluation tools for action planning, monitoring and outcome assessment.

In addition, the SISEP center provides technical assistance to:

  • Establish implementation capacity in Technical Assistance Centers and projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs
  • Increase implementation capacity of Local Education Agency Superintendents and other leaders
  • Increase knowledge of evidence-based implementation supports for evidence based practices in Charter Management Organizations.
Director(s): Caryn Ward, Director, Dale Cusumano, Assistant Director

Specialty Area

  • Education Leadership
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Multi-tiered Systems of Support
  • System Alignment

Primary Audience

  • Administrators
  • School Districts
  • Schools
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Coaching
  • Consulting
  • Content Expertise
  • Facilitation

Regions/States

National

Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Level of Support

Intensive

Additional Information

Other Primary Audiences: Technical Assistance Centers

Other Specialty Areas: Implementation Science and Improvement Science

State Support Network

The State Support Network was a technical assistance initiative operating from 2016 to 2020 designed to support state and district school improvement efforts. Use this site to learn more about State Support Network communities of practice and to access free resources for states and district to support school improvement.

Director(s):

Specialty Area

  • Education Leadership
  • English Language Learners
  • Evidence Based Practices & Scaling Up
  • Measuring Student Growth
  • System Alignment

Primary Audience

  • School Districts
  • State Education Agencies

Services

  • Consulting
  • Content Expertise
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Regions/States

National

All States

Level of Support

Tiered

Additional Information

Technical Assistance Providers

Communities of Practice

Implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act; Needs Assessments; Strategic Planning