The IDEA Partnership at The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) IDEA INFO Building Unified Education Systems Using Partnership Tools and Processes 1

IDEA Partnership: US Department of Education’s Investment in stakeholder expertise  An affiliation of 55 national organizations  Collaborating across roles and settings  Translating research and policy to practice  Solving persistent and complex problems IDEA NASDSE 2009

Using Existing Networks to Reach New Levels of Impact We believe:  All students are general education students first.  Members will ‘hear’ messages from organizations differently than they ‘hear’ them from the state or district.  An organization’s communication vehicles and national meetings create great opportunities to share information and motivate action. IDEA NASDSE 2009

Using Existing Networks to Reach New Levels of Impact We believe:  Organizational divisions and state affiliates are natural outlets for materials designed by the IDEA Partnership.  When national organizations and their state affiliates work together, information can move quickly and with more meaning.  When states work with state affiliates of national organizations, ideas can change practice.  Together, states and organizational affiliates can tackle challenges to effective implementation. IDEA NASDSE 2009

Tools and Processes to Support Our Work Together  Partnership Collections ( one topic ; many centers)  User Guides (work of one center)  Dialogue Guides  RKR Library  Communities of Practice  Collaboration, Presentations, Mentoring, Networking  National Meeting/Summits  Websites – IDEA NASDSE 2009

RTI Summit: Beginning the National Dialogue  Cross-agency at the federal level  State teams, across program areas  Stakeholders as members of state teams  Researchers and early implementers as presenters  Keynotes with ‘big messages’ that could generate discussion  State team time to convey current efforts, think with a larger group of stakeholders and plan future efforts  TA Centers and organizations learning with state teams by acting as facilitators  Intentional follow-up across federal TA investments IDEA NASDSE 2009

Organization Roles  Core Members of State Teams  National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)  American Association of School Administrators (AASA)  National Education Association (NEA)  American Federation of Teachers( AFT)  Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) / Parent Resource and Information Centers (PIRC)  Planning Committee, Facilitators and Presenters  Follow-up Networks IDEA NASDSE 2009

Summit Goals and Expected Outcomes  Share information, tools, and resources  Learn about the value of an RTI model to  Build rapport among diverse stakeholders within each state/territory  Follow through back in the states/territories IDEA NASDSE 2009

State Team Interaction  Three Facilitated Sessions  Shared leadership and visioning  Assessment of current statewide capacity for change to RTI  Action-planning to support and enhance implementation of RTI  Planning Document  Shared Leadership – Who are the other stakeholder groups that need to be invited to the table?  Statewide Initiatives – What needs to be in place to support change efforts?  Professional Development - What needs to be in place to support change efforts?  Reactions from Facilitators IDEA NASDSE 2009

Partnership Collection on RTI IDEA NASDSE 2009  Stakeholder perspectives on a topic (e.g. RTI)  Available to people at all knowledge levels  Making research tangible to those in the field  A comprehensive collection of materials and resources

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How to use…  Knowledge level: zero to much  RTI = school improvement  Concerns  Changing roles and responsibilities  Opportunity to gain requisite knowledge and skills  Reallocation of resources: time and $  Fidelity of implementation  To engage in dialogue IDEA NASDSE 2009

Tools to begin the discussion…  Grounding Assumptions  Guiding Principles of RTI  Dialogue Guides  What is RTI?  Early Intervening Services (EIS) in the Federal Regulations  Glossary of RTI Terms IDEA NASDSE 2009

Tools to deepen the discussion and move to implementation…  Power Points and Presenter Guides  Leaving No Child Behind: Response to Intervention Fundamentals for Educators and their Partners  Response to Intervention: Policy Considerations and Implementation  Response to Intervention and SLD Identification  Dialogue Guides IDEA NASDSE 2009

User Guides: Technical Assistance In-depth IDEA NASDSE 2009  Provide efficient access to and use of research and materials located on a Federal Technical Assistance (TA) Center website  Developed by cross-stakeholder group representative of  IDEA Partnership organizations  TA Center personnel  Range of roles at all levels of the education system  Geographic locations from across the United States

Each Guide Contains… IDEA NASDSE 2009  Needs of the Field  Essential Elements  Guiding Principles  Grounding Assumptions  Dialogue Guides  Fact Sheet  Glossary  Power Point & Presenter’s Guide

Current availability… IDEA NASDSE 2009  National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) Evidence-based Practice  Available now at  National Center on Instruction  In process, projected to be available June  Creating Agreement (early dispute resolution)  In planning stage

Dialogue Guides: Tools for Building Shared Understanding and Shared Implementation Efforts  Are models for conducting interactive discussions across stakeholders  Examine assumptions held  Seek common ground  Support consensus  Encourage application IDEA NASDSE 2009

Components of Dialogue Guides  DG Brief  Available now to the field  Brief article or summary  Reaction Questions  Acknowledgement of differing perspectives  Application Questions  Implications for advancing practice together IDEA NASDSE 2009

Dialogue Guides  Build on important policy documents  Help make technical language understandable  Get to the issues behind the language and get people talking  Cross-stakeholder developed Statutory Guides and RTI Collection Available at Partnership website:  Facilitator’s Guide to make it easier to invite groups into dialogue IDEA NASDSE 2009

Communities of Practice A way of working Involving those who do shared work Involving those who share issues Always asking “who isn’t here?” A way of learning To create new knowledge grounded in doing the work With those who can advocate for and make change IDEA NASDSE 2009

Levels of Collaboration in the Partnership  Inform- Share accurate, relevant and useful information through national networks  Network – Connect to state affiliates of national organizations to enable the work to move more deeply  Collaborate – Work across organizations to develop shared messages  Transform – Support shared work between state affiliates and states IDEA NASDSE 2009

Why States Are Collaborating through Communities of Practice  Efficiency and effectiveness of collaborative planning and monitoring  School Improvement demands of No Child Left Behind  NCLB requirements for ‘highly qualified teachers’ and ‘adequate yearly progress’  More meaningful planning and program design for teachers  Desire for compatibility…reduced chance of incompatibility  Desire to move beyond discussion to action  Move from a ‘desire to collaborate’ to ‘collaborating IDEA NASDSE 2009

IDEA Partnership Can Provide:  Brokered connections to key groups  Introductory presentations to open cross- stakeholder work  Ongoing collaboration  Mentoring for deeper collaboration within states  Networking opportunities around shared issues IDEA NASDSE 2009

For more information about the IDEA Partnership Visit the website: Call toll free line at: IDEA INFO The IDEA Partnership is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is part of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination network IDEA NASDSE