Welcome to the IDEA Data Center

This webinar will take place on October 15, 2021, from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET. Learn more about big data — the ability to harness and use data at scale —and how it has transformed our economy, our democracy, and our daily way of life.  Join the webinar to learn what federal, state, and local partners are doing to address gaps in data science and artificial intelligence and what resources exist to bring data education programs to schools.

Click here to register.

On Thursday, September 9th, U.S. Department of Education announced that it will launch a new grant program to provide additional funding to school districts that have funds withheld by their state or are otherwise financially penalized for implementing strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, such as universal indoor masking. The announcement is part of President Biden's plan to combat COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of students, educators, families, and school communities.

Click here to read more. 

On August 24, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) sent a letter to its state and local partners reiterating its commitment to ensuring children with disabilities and their families have successful early intervention and educational experiences in the 2021-2022 school year.  

Click here to read more.

OSEP released a new OSEP Fast Facts: Race and Ethnicity of Children with Disabilities Served under IDEA Part B and new supplemental tool, Hand In Hand. This tool explores IDEA, Section 618 data with the specific lens on race and ethnicity. OSEP Fast Facts is an ongoing effort to display data from the 12 data collections authorized under IDEA Section 618 into graphic, visual representations with the intent to present 618 data quickly and clearly. 

Click here to read the new OSEP Fast Facts and check out the new tool here.

This week, as we recognize the thirty-first anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) have issued a new resource, "Long COVID under Section 504 and the IDEA: A Resource to Support Children, Students, Educators, Schools, Service Providers, and Families"

Click here to read more.

The Educational Equity Summit Series will launch virtually with the first event on June 22nd and will focus on how, as schools and campuses continue to reopen and welcome students back for in-person instruction, they must not return to the status quo. The first installment of the series will explore how schools and communities can reimagine our school systems so that every student has a voice in their school and classroom, particularly students from underserved communities, including communities of color, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners. The event will also feature discussions on how all students can access a high-quality education responsive to their needs, and how schools can create more culturally and linguistically responsive and inclusive learning environments for all students. The first installment will feature remarks from Department leaders, panel discussions focused on evidence-based practices and promising strategies for building equitable and inclusive environments in our schools, and insights from leaders working to make equitable and inclusive schools a reality. Participants include Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education Pedro Noguera, 2021 School Counselor of the Year Olivia Carter, and others. Interested participants can register to attend the Summit here.

Read the full Press Release here.

OSEP posted a revised version of the Process and Criteria Used to Evaluate a Request by States to Waive Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Requirements under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) document. This document provides guidance to SEAs on the factors the Department considers when reviewing requests for waivers of the maintenance of State financial support requirement under Part B of the IDEA. This document replaces the Department’s June 2010 version of this guidance.  To learn more, click here.

View Document

The U.S. Department of Education is providing guidance to states emphasizing the importance of flexibility in administering assessments this year as a result of the pandemic and supporting the use of assessment data as a source of information for parents and educators to target resources and support, rather than for accountability purposes this year.

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To reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic and maximize the amount of in-person instruction, schools need sufficient resources as well as adhered-to, strong state and local public health measures. Extraordinary efforts by states, districts, and schools have been underway to support students throughout the pandemic.

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OSEP released the APR Information Collection Package (Federal Fiscal Years 2020–2025 SPP/APR Package, Due 2022).      

Access the Package