The National Center to Improve the Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Personnel for Children with Disabilities (Personnel Improvement Center) was funded on October 1, 2008, under a new cooperative agreement between the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

 

As a technical assistance and dissemination (TA and D) project, our mission is to identify, disseminate and assist States in implementing evidence based practices to meet the need for highly or fully qualified special education, early intervention and related services personnel, including paraprofessionals.

 

The Personnel Improvement Center is working on multiple levels to achieve its mission.

On the national level, we are conducting an on-going national recruitment campaign to attract persons to the field of special education, early intervention and the related services careers.

 

We offer information about 18 different careers as well as a database of personnel preparation programs available on this website. We also have information about financial aid to enter personnel preparation programs and information about state certification websites.

 

Bi-monthly conference calls and web casts are offered to interested persons who are working to alleviate personnel shortages at the national, state or local level. Issue briefs follow each of the calls/web casts and are sent to our list serve bi-monthly, as well.

 

Most of our work, however, is targeted at the state and local level, and includes services that are available to states to increase their capacity to:

• Develop and implement personnel data management plans;
• Assist in the development and implementation of personnel preparation program partnership plans between high-need LEAs and IHEs; and
• Assist targeted high need local districts and programs in attracting, developing and supporting new and existing personnel.

 

The Center welcomes targeted partnerships with other centers, associations and organizations that are interested in developing and implementing successful solutions to personnel shortages in the field of special education, early intervention and the related services. Contact Dr. Phoebe Gillespie, Director for additional information about the Center.

The Center has developed a new bi-monthly e-newsletter. To receive it, go to the PIC website www.personnelcenter.org and sign up on the home page.