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Special Education

Westat is conducting several studies that assess the impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for the Office of Special Education Programs and the National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences.

  • Since 1990, Westat has provided the Office of Special Education Programs with Technical Assistance in Data Collection, Analysis, and Report Preparation with regard to special education. Under our current contract, Westat performs the following:

  • The Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) is designed to describe the results of preschool special education and guide programs and services to improve those results. Westat project staff will follow a national sample of almost 3,000 preschoolers with disabilities for 6 years. The study will examine the following issues for children:

  • Picture of Elementary School Students Drawing
  • The Evaluation of States' Monitoring and Improvement Practices Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a 5-year evaluation that Westat is conducting to perform the following:

  • The Evaluation of the State Improvement Grant (SIG) Program is a 5-year evaluation. The SIG Program provides targeted resources to assist states and local education agencies in improving results for children with disabilities. Westat is collecting and analyzing data to address the following:

  • Personnel Preparation Performance Reporting Support focuses on students trained through the Office of Special Education Programs' personnel preparation program. The personnel preparation program uses discretionary grants to support activities that provide individuals with the knowledge and skills to effectively serve children with disabilities. Westat collects and analyzes data to determine the number and characteristics of students trained though this program, as well as the outcomes of their training.

For more information about the Education Research Area, please send us a message.