National Center for Supporting School Building and Early Intervention Program (EIP) Administrators to Effectively Implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Improve Systems Serving Children with Disabilities

Overview

The purposes of the program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children.

This competition includes one absolute priority. 
Absolute Priority: The National Center for Supporting School Building and EIP Administrators to Effectively Implement IDEA and Improve Systems Serving Children with Disabilities.

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a National Center for Supporting School Building and EIP Administrators to Effectively Implement IDEA and Improve Systems Serving Children with Disabilities (Center). The Center will help SEAs and Part C lead agencies effectively implement IDEA by building the capacity of school building and EIP administrators to meet the requirements of IDEA. 

The Center must achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes: 

1. Establish and maintain State-level partnerships 1 to help local administrators attain and maintain the essential IDEA-related professional competencies needed to ensure the delivery of FAPE in the LRE for children with disabilities and the provision of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; 
2. Identify the IDEA-related professional competencies required for school building and EIP administrators to ensure the delivery of FAPE in the LRE for children with disabilities and early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; 
3. Develop and disseminate openly licensed products designed for adult learners to increase knowledge, build skills, and provide practice-based opportunities that focus on the IDEArelated professional competencies that school building and EIP administrators must master to effectively implement IDEA in their school or EIP in order to improve outcomes for children; 
4. Deliver high-quality professional learning programs using the Center’s openly licensed products and other available products designed for adult learners to increase knowledge, build skills, and provide practice-based opportunities that focus on the IDEArelated professional competencies that school building and EIP administrators must master to effectively implement IDEA in their school or EIP in order to improve outcomes for children; 
5. Evaluate the effectiveness over the life of the grant of professional development products and services the Center designed to increase the capacity of school building and EIP administrators to effectively implement IDEA, by identifying specific school building and EIP administrators to participate in a structured professional development program; and 
6. Enhance the capacity of State-level partners to use Center products and deliver high-quality professional development designed to increase the capacity of school building and EIP administrators to effectively implement IDEA.

Pre-Application Webinar Information: No later than July 5, 2023, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services will post details on prerecorded informational webinars designed to provide technical assistance (TA) to interested applicants. Links to the webinars may be found at https:// www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/ new-osep-grants.html.

Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $15,000,000 for a project period of 60 months or an award that exceeds $4,000,000 for any single budget period. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months.