National Evaluation of the IDEA Technical Assistance and Dissemination Program

Contractors: Westat, Empatha

Background/Research Questions:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) is the most recent authorization of a law passed in 1975 to promote a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities. Funded at $12.6 billion in FY 2010, IDEA supports early intervention services for infants and toddlers, special education services for children ages 3 through 21, and early intervening services for students not in special education but in need of academic or behavioral support. IES is conducting studies under Section 664 of IDEA 2004 to assess the implementation and effectiveness of key programs and services supported under the law.

As specified in IDEA Part D, the Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) Program is to provide technical assistance, support model demonstration projects, disseminate useful information, and implement activities that are supported by scientifically based research to meet the needs of children with disabilities. The National Evaluation of the IDEA TA&D Program is designed to describe the nature of the relationship between TA&D providers and their clients, client needs for technical assistance to support their implementation of IDEA 2004, and the extent to which TA&D services are associated with the implementation of recommended practices and policies and—to the extent possible—improved students outcomes. Research questions focus on three topic areas:

• Description of needs for and uses of TA&D services: What are the areas states and districts report needing and/or receiving technical assistance to support IDEA implementation across all education-levels? Which services are seen as most helpful in contributing to the improvement of key student outcomes and what are the perceived barriers to local level implementation?
• Description of TA&D grantee services: What are the TA&D Network objectives and provider areas of practice? How do TA&D grantees identify their clients, assess their needs, and develop and maintain their relationship with clients?
• Relationship between technical assistance, implementation of practices and policy, and student outcomes: To what extent does assistance from TA&D grantees relate to implementation of special education policies and practices? To what extent does assistance from TA&D grantees and/or implementation of TA&D Network supported practices relate to student academic, developmental, and functional outcomes?

Design:

Data collection includes administrating surveys to all TA&D Program grantees, all state IDEA Part B and Part C administrators, and a nationally representative sample of special education program directors in 2,500 districts. These data will be analyzed together with relevant extant data.

Cost/Duration: $2,995,294 over 5 years (September 2009–September 2014)

Current Status: Data collection with TA&D Program grantees and state education agency officials is taking place throughout the fall and early winter of 2012. An interim report is planned for 2012 with a final report following in 2014.