The Center is committed to producing knowledge and professional expertise that will enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. Each year the Center for Opportunities and Outcomes provides support to a selected group of Research Fellows and Research Assistants who work with Center-affiliated faculty members on a wide range of research, evaluation, and demonstration projects in the context of an active research community. Bi-weekly Research Colloquia sponsored by the Center provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of research issues and findings by Center researchers and their colleagues from the field. The Center for Opportunities and Outcomes promotes the dynamic interdisciplinary confluence of expertise available at Teachers College. The Center also encourage national and international partnerships aimed at increasing the power of disability-relevant research to produce groundbreaking knowledge.
Research includes studies aimed at preventing the adverse effects of poverty and disability.
Targeted outcomes include reducing the number of children classified and placed in special education programs and improving academic, personal, and social outcomes for at-risk children. Research and demonstration projects on the effectiveness of innovative interventions focus on developing differentiated and effective approachees for children and adults with disabilities. The academic, personal, and social outcomes of those efforts will be evaluated. Projects focus on the development of interdisciplinary research and theory relevant to special education.