C is for Collaboration

C is for Collaboration

c is for collaboration

The CEEDAR Center staff has been working diligently to establish a national presence for those interested in educator professional learning, accountability, and reform related to educating students with disabilities. To fulfill the CEEDAR mission, we intend to provide direct leadership and coordination support to TA participants while increasing impact through strategic dissemination. During our first year, we developed and solidified relationships with a number of collaborators through knowledge development and TA&D.

The CEEDAR Center team includes more than 25 members with expertise related to the Center’s mission. Additionally, we have established an advisory group that comprises representatives from our organizational partners who oversee and provide guidance for Center initiatives. To ensure collaboration and capacity building within each state, we develop state steering committees and leadership teams.

The advisory group comprises nationally recognized experts in the field and representatives from important organizational partners. Advisors provide input on product development for use in TA&D. Partnerships with organizations such as CEC, AACTE, and CAEP are critical as we work with states to reform preparation programs, revise certification and licensure standards, and refine personnel evaluation systems. Also, we are fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of other centers (e.g., IRIS, GTL, National Center on Intensive Intervention) through the TA&D Network. Our connections across the country position us to leverage resources and access real-time information relevant to our work in states.

To establish the same foundation for collaboration, we expect our partner states to demonstrate stakeholder commitment by forming state steering committees with state and IHE leaders and leadership teams that include representatives from their respective agencies. These teams are then well-positioned to collaborate across sites within their states. The ultimate goal is for members of the leadership team to support others in the state who are not directly involved with the work of CEEDAR.

Technology is central to our ability to connect with partners across the country.  In a previous newsletter, our director of technology discussed his vision for the development and use of online tools for collaboration and communication. Our state partners are “networked” through our online NIC, and they participate in meetings using Adobe Connect, which is coordinated by the TACC.

Community, communication, and online connectivity make possible the “C”—collaboration­—in CEEDAR.