**20 1**  **3 Forms Clearance** 

**– Additional**  **Information Regarding Umbrella**  **Programs under Part** 

**D, IDEA Under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act discretionary grants are**  **authorized to support technology, State personnel development, personnel preparation,**  **parent training and information, and technical assistance activities. Under this Part D umbrella collection, the following description is offered regarding the five programs:**  **State Personnel Development The State Personnel Development (SPD**  **) program, established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act Amendments of 2004, takes effect on July 1, 2005.**  **The program provides grants to assist State educational agencies (SEAs) in reforming and improving their systems for pe**  **rsonnel preparation and professional development in early intervention, educational, and transition services to improve results for children with**  **disabilities. Competitive awards would be made for periods of 1 to 5 years. Technical assistance and dissemi**  **nation The Technical Assistance and Dissemination program is the primary vehicle under the**  **Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for putting information into the hands of**  **individuals and organizations serving children with disabilities and th eir families. The**  **program makes awards to provide technical assistance, support model demonstration projects, disseminate useful information, and implement activities that are supported by**  **scientifically based research. These awards are intended to impro ve services provided**  **under the IDEA, including the practices of professionals and others involved in providing services that promote academic achievement and improve results for children with**  **disabilities. Most awards are made for periods of 5 years. Eli**  **gible applicants are SEAs, local educational agencies (LEAs), public charter schools that are LEAs under State law,**  **institutions of higher education (IHEs), other public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, outlying areas, freely associated States, I**  **ndian tribes or tribal organizations, and for** 
**- profit organizations.**  **Personnel Preparation Although States are primarily responsible for training, hiring, and certifying personnel to**  **serve children with disabilities, the Personnel Preparation program assis ts States in meeting**  **these responsibilities. The program supports competitive awards to:**

 **Help address State**
**- identified needs for personnel in special education, related**  **services, early intervention, and regular education to work with children with disabili**  **ties;**

 **Ensure that those personnel are highly qualified, have the skills and knowledge that are needed to serve children with disabilities, and that such skills and knowledge are**  **derived from practices determined to be successful through research and experi**  **ence;**

 **Ensure that regular education teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide instruction to students with disabilities in the regular education classroom.** **A large majority of the grants awarded through this program (approximately 96 perc ent)** 

**go to IHEs. Awards are made throughout the fiscal year. Duration of awards varies from 3 to 5 years, depending on the type of project.**  **Parent Information Centers The Parent Information Centers program is one of the primary vehicles under IDEA for**  **providing information and training to parents of children with disabilities. The program supports awards to ensure that:** 

 **Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information designed to assist the children in meeting developmental**  **and functional goals and challenging academic achievement goals, and in being prepared to lead productive independent**  **adult lives;**

 **Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information on their rights, responsibilities, and protect** **ions under IDEA, in order to develop the skills necessary to cooperatively and effectively participate in planning and decision making**  **relating to early intervention, educational, and transitional services; and**

 **Parents receive coordinated and accessible te chnical assistance and information to assist**  **them in improving early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for their children and families.**  **The IDEA authorizes three types of projects**
**-- parent training and information centers,**  **community parent resource centers, and technical assistance for parent centers. Parent training and information centers awards are made typically for a period of 5 years. Awards**  **for community parent resource centers are made typically for a period of 3 y ears. Eligible**  **applicants are parent organizations, as defined in section 671(a)(2) of IDEA. Technology and Media Services**  **The Technology and Media Services program is the primary source of support for technology and media service** 
**- related activities und**  **er IDEA. Technology activities promote the development, demonstration, and use of technology. They include activities such as**  **research on using technology to improve learning and provide access to the classroom, and technical assistance and dissemination**  **activities to enhance the use of technology by parents and teachers. Media Services activities focus on providing access to various media for**  **individuals with disabilities. The duration of awards typically varies from 3 to 5 years. Eligible Applicant**  **s are SEAs; LEAs; public charter schools that are LEAs under State law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public agencies; private nonprofit**  **organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and fo**  **r -**  **profit organizations. This grant application provides the forms and information necessary for applicants to**  **submit an application for funding under any of the 5 program areas, and information for use by technical reviewers to determine the quality of th**  **e application.**