About NCSER

The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) sponsors a comprehensive program of special education research designed to deepen our understanding of the conditions that improve developmental and educational outcomes for learners with or at risk for disabilities. NCSER researchers have made important progress in understanding factors related to academic growth, developing measurement systems integral to documenting skill development and learning, and developing and testing interventions designed to improve education outcomes, broadly defined to include school readiness, academic achievement, behaviors that support learning, and the functional outcomes that improve educational results and transition outcomes to employment, independent living, and postsecondary education. The work of NCSER researchers captures the developmental range of birth through young adulthood in the 13 disability categories recognized in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which include sensory impairments, developmental delays, speech and language impairments, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional disturbance.

NCSER also funds research training programs that prepare individuals to conduct rigorous and relevant early intervention and special education research that addresses issues important to education policymakers and practitioners. These programs include Postdoctoral Research Training, Early Career Development and Mentoring to support for an integrated research and career development plan for investigators in the early stages of their academic careers, and Methods Training to help current education researchers maintain and enhance their research and data analysis skills.