SRI International was awarded an additional five years of funding by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education to continue leading the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (the DaSy Center). IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which addresses the provision of services to young children with disabilities. The DaSy Center is a national technical assistance center that works with the state agencies in all states and U.S. territories that oversee early intervention and preschool special education programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Over the next five years the DaSy Center will help states:
- Enhance, streamline, and integrate statewide, child-level early childhood data systems to address critical policy questions.
- Collect, report, analyze, and use early intervention and preschool special education data required under IDEA.
When asked about their interactions with SRI, staff employed by state agencies stated:
“The support and products received from the DaSy Center around child outcomes summary data has been hugely impactful in improving regional agencies’ knowledge base for rating child outcomes, engaging families in the measurement process, and using the data to improve practices.”
“The technical assistance we have received from the DaSy Center has supported us with critical work that has led to improvements in our state system.”
“SRI, the organization currently directing the DaSy Center, is a pioneer when it comes to early childhood data.”
“The collaboration with the DaSy Center is an essential element in our state’s ongoing improvement activities for improved outcomes for students that receive Early Childhood 619 services.”