84.328R: Technical Assistance for the Parent Centers

This document describes the projects that received funding in Fiscal Year 2004 from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, under its competition 84.328R, Technical Assistance for the Parent Centers. This funding is authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation's special education law.

The Bigger Picture

NICHCY is pleased to make this listing available to you online. The listing comes from a longer publication with the incredibly long title of: Volume 3 of Discretionary Projects Supported by the Office of Special Education Programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Fiscal Year 2004: Technical Assistance, Dissemination, Parent Information, and State Improvement.

Interested in what other Parent Training and Information grants have been funded by OSEP in 2004? Please visit:
www.nichcy.org/directories/parent-training.asp

For an overview of OSEP's discretionary funding programs, and to find complete listings of all its program areas, competitions, and funded projects, please visit:
www.nichcy.org/directories/intro.asp

For a print copy of the complete Technical Assistance, Dissemination, Parent Information, and State Improvement directory (Volume 3), or any of the other directories (while supplies last), please contact Todd Fisk, the Directory/Database Manager, at:
tfisk@aed.org

84.328R
Technical Assistance for the Parent Centers

Purpose: This project will develop, assist, and coordinate Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) located in the nine states of Region 4 (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri). Through scientifically based and best practice methods, with the support of the Region 4 parent centers and in collaboration with other technical assistance partners, the project will provide a regional unified support system that will work in concert with the National Parent Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to empower parents to be informed decision makers in their children's education.

Method: The project will: (a) use a variety of mechanisms to disseminate information and provideinteractive opportunities for understanding services needed for student success; (b) provide parents and children in underserved and underrepresented communities with information and training on the No Child Left Behind Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and research-based practices to increase parent involvement; (c) expand and support parent centers to empower parents to become active partners with schools and agencies and to access research-based practices and utilize current findings with their children; (d) collaborate with the National Parent TAC to develop training materials on two major topics annually; (e) provide parent centers with the ability to measure their organization's effectiveness and the impact they have on outcomes for children; and (f) maximize the computer and technological capacities of parent centers in Region 4.

Products: The Region 4 Parent TAC will develop an individualized evaluation plan with each parent center, conduct a regional conference annually, conduct training for individual parent centers as determined by their needs assessment, disseminate information and training materials to all Region 4 parent centers via e-mail, train parent center staff in leadership skills needed to collaborate with state and local initiatives, conduct video conferences and teleconferences with parent centers, and establish a toll-free telephone line for access to information and technical assistance.

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Purpose: The West Region Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for the Parent Centers will assist each Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) and Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC) in Region 6 to improve services and solve issues, by providing information or linking them with other resources. Region 6 includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, the outlying areas of the Pacific Basin, and the Freely Associated States.

Method: Based on a comprehensive needs assessment, the West Region Parent TAC will offer individualized technical assistance to each of the parent centers in the region. Research-based materials, information, and trainings on topics pertinent to the parent centers, especially concerning the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, will be disseminated to the centers on a regular basis, electronically and through mailings, conference calls, and annual regional conferences. The project will maintain established relationships with partners in critical areas, such as the other technical assistance and dissemination centers in the OSEP network, and will create ongoing opportunities for the parent centers to benefit from those partnerships. The project will focus on helping centers better serve underserved and underrepresented families, and will maximize technology, not only within the infrastructure of each office, but featuring methods of technology that are useful in effectively serving families. The technical assistance will be systematically evaluated and measured for effectiveness.

Products: The West Region Parent TAC will complete a needs assessment with each of the individual parent centers in the region and will create a strategy for addressing the individual needs of the centers and the collective needs of multiple centers. The project will have a minimum of 400 contacts annually with parent centers by telephone and e-mail. It will maintain a Web site, will facilitate eight conference calls annually with the parent centers, will implement an annual regional conference, and will produce a quarterly e-mail newsletter. The project will provide each parent center with training required to effectively use a self-evaluation tool and to analyze the data collected, and will develop and disseminate cultural competency training materials to the centers.

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Purpose: The Southeast Parent Technical Assistance Center (SEPTAC) will offer technical assistance that will improve and enhance the capacity, efficiency, and effectiveness of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in Region 3 (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The project also received a supplement in FY2004 is to provide Mississippi with PTI services for the period of October 1, 2004 until September 30, 2005.

Method: The SEPTAC will identify and address the unique needs and issues of parent centers in collaboration with the National Parent Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and the Regional TACs, within a unified technical assistance system. It will build capacity and increase effectiveness of all parent centers in Region 3, by offering technical assistance that is customer-focused. All information provided will be research-based (if applicable), culturally appropriate, available in multiple formats, and designed to meet the unique needs of the diverse parent centers in the Southeast. Access to and connection with the resources of the National Parent Technical Assistance Center, the Regional Resource Center Network, and other state, regional, and national technical assistance centers and information clearinghouses will enhance the opportunities that parent centers have to assist the families they each serve.

Products: Technical assistance services will include a regional conference, monthly conference calls, e-newsletters, technical assistance papers on relevant topics, targeted assistance based upon individual parent centers' identified needs, assistance in utilizing cutting edge technology, strategies to effectively conduct outreach to traditionally underserved populations, and access to nonprofit management expertise.

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Purpose: The Northeast Parent Center Assistance and Collaboration Team (NE-PACT) will facilitate and provide support to Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in Region 1 to strengthen their infrastructure, enhance their effectiveness, and facilitate their connections to the larger technical assistance network that supports research-based training. A key focus will be strengthening parent center capacities to educate parents about effective practices that improve results for children with disabilities. The project will also work to strengthen collaborative relationships among the PTIs, CPRCs, and state education systems within the region. Region 1 includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Method: NE-PACT will provide direct technical assistance to the 15 Northeast parent centers, including: (a) technical assistance on management and content areas; (b) effective outreach to underserved and underrepresented populations; (c) collaboration with other technical assistance providers to enhance research-to-practice and parent center capacity to participate in education and systemic reform activities; (d) prepare and use training materials in multiple languages and accessible formats based on research and best practices and prepare information on the No Child Left Behind Act, using the expertise of the parent centers in the region to ensure that the materials are appropriate for the family audiences served; and (e) assistance on computer and technology use. E-PACT will work with the National Parent Technical Assistance Center and Northeast parent centers to conduct an assessment of the training and technical assistance needs of the PTIs and CPRCs, measure program effectiveness and outcomes for children and families, and use the results of assessments to develop individualized Center improvement plans with measurable outcomes, goals, and objectives, continuous improvement strategies, and evaluation tools.

Products: NE-PACT will facilitate ongoing communication, sharing, and capacity building through annual national and regional conferences, ongoing telephone conference calls, onsite technical assistance visits to NE parent centers, and a regional online newsletter. The project will facilitate parent centers in visiting and learning from each other. The project will also facilitate collaboration with state and local education agencies, research institutes, service providers, and families, through sponsorship of three region-wide Partnership Summits.

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Purpose: PEAK Parent Center will develop and implement the Regional Parent Technical Assistance Center in Region 5, serving the federally designated Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The project will provide technical assistance on scientifically based best practices, management techniques, and effective strategies for supporting families in Region 5 in a timely way, based on their individual needs and utilizing innovative technical assistance methods. The project will serve as a key link among PTIs/CPRCs, the National Parent Technical Assistance Center (TAC), and other regional and national groups to assure a unified system of technical assistance.

Method: The project will provide technical assistance to each PTI and CPRC in Region 5 using a variety of methods based on ongoing assessment of their individual needs. It will enhance the computer and technological capabilities of PTIs and CPRCs by collaborating with the National Parent TAC and by focusing on distance learning in order to build centers' individual capacities and to support a unified national system of technical assistance. The project will work to increase the capacity of PTIs and CPRCs for effective outreach to traditionally underserved populations. It will participate with other technical assistance providers and government agencies to ensure that parent centers have access to research-based practices, to build parent/professional partnerships, and to coordinate efforts on preparation of training materials. It will collaborate with the National Parent TAC to conduct needs assessments and provide technical assistance to PTIs/CPRCs to measure their program effectiveness and outcomes.

Products: The project will assist the Region 5 parent centers to help families develop the skills and confidence they need to work with their schools and negotiate for their children to get needed services. It will develop an annual plan with each parent center to address priority needs and determine how each center's technical assistance dollars will be used, disseminate a monthly electronic newsletter, conduct an annual regional conference, present one meeting annually using a different distance learning modality, develop a Web site, operate a regional e-mail bulletin board, provide onsite assistance, and disseminate information about resources and training opportunities.

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Purpose: The Exceptional Children's Assistance Center, in collaboration with the Parent Information Center of Delaware, will carry out this project to meet the technical assistance needs of the 15 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) located in Region 2, which includes Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Method: The project will provide PTIs and CPRCs with the knowledge and skills necessary to offer parent training and information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, educational and system reform activities including continuous improvement and focus monitoring, and specific content areas such as alternate dispute resolution, based on the needs of the families being served. The project will assist the centers in operating effectively and efficiently by staff who are knowledgeable about nonprofit management requirements and strategies. It will provide culturally appropriate outreach to and services for families from underserved and underrepresented populations. It will also assist centers in collaborating with other technical assistance networks, research and dissemination projects, institutions of higher education, and other resources.

Products: The project will provide PTIs and CPRCs with information through mailed or electronically transmitted information packets, e-mail information bulletins, a newsletter called Technically Speaking, and a Web site. It will conduct conference call training sessions, present an institute on research-based practices, and present a regional conference. It will respond to the needs of each parent center by developing and implementing an Individual Center Assistance Plan, in addition to providing individualized technical assistance via on-site visits. It will serve families from underserved and underrepresented populations by organizing and using Communities of Practice.

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Purpose: The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers will assist regional Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) and parent centers to address the accelerated change environment in education brought about by new laws such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the reauthorization of IDEA. The design of the Alliance will integrate the values and passion of the parent movement with unifying technical assistance to coordinate and standardize the delivery of scientific research-based information to families so that children with disabilities benefit from educational reforms.

Method: A "parents helping parents" philosophy will guide service delivery through seven project activities: (a) coordinating a unified technical assistance system across parent centers; (b) maintaining, expanding, and coordinating the current state-of-the-art technology system with the expertise of a business partnership; (c) increasing the capacity to meet the needs of underserved and underrepresented families in parent center activities; (d) collaborating with other technical assistance providers and OSEP to develop or adapt scientifically based training materials and information including best practices on No Child Left Behind (NCLB); (e) participating in collaborative activities with the technical assistance and dissemination network, OSEP, the Federal Resource Center, Regional Resource Centers, and the Dissemination Center to coordinate efforts and participate in systems reform activities, including NCLB, that are designed to improve outcomes for children; (f) promoting effective parent-professional partnerships at state, regional, and local levels to improve achievement for children; and (g) contributing to the knowledge base about effective services to parent centers by conducting rigorous scientific research-based evaluation of all activities of the project.

Products: The Alliance will hold a new directors' conference annually to build management and content skills, conduct annual needs assessments with parent centers, develop Individualized Program Enhancement Plans with the Military and Native American parent centers, develop three cross-regional collaborative research-based Institutes to build learning opportunities and strengthen collaboration, hold an annual national conference for parent centers, maintain a national toll-free number, assist parent centers to create business advisory boards, maintain and expand its Web site, train parent centers on distance learning technologies and familiarize them with assistive technology, increase cultural competency and accessibility in publications and technical assistance activities, develop a booklet of outreach strategies for parent centers to reach underserved groups, develop six new Parent Leadership Fellows annually, create a panel of research experts for review of materials and consultation, develop or participate in communities of practice, prepare a brief and a CD-ROM on examples of parent-professional collaborative activities, develop a monograph on collaboration strategies between parent centers and state special education agencies, develop an evaluation instrument to measure parent center effectiveness and outcomes for children, and have an outside evaluation conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Alliance and regional Technical Assistance Centers.

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