Office of Special Education Programs
Encyclopedia
Originally created as the Bureau of the Education of the Handicapped, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is part of the U.S. Department of Education. OSEP provides leadership and support for professionals working with children with disabilities. Another critical role of OSEP is to protect the educational rights of children with disabilities from age three through twenty-one. OSEP is supervised by the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Education through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS).
its purpose is to strengthen and coordinate activities on behalf of students with disabilities. OSEP activities are authorized through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA
).
Its current mission is to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts. OSEP programs are intended to ensure that the rights of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their parents are protected.
) in the Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE) to children with disabilities. OSEP administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which provides for the education of children with disabilities in the United States, pre-kindergarten through high school graduation or age21. Among its responsibilities OSEP aims to:
OSEP is under the auspices of the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Education through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). OSEP consists of the Office of the Director, Program Support Services Group, Monitoring and State Improvement Planning Division and Research to Practice Division. The Early Childhood Team, Elementary and Middle School Team, Secondary/Transition/Postsecondary Team and National Initiatives Team make up the Research to Practice Division.
OSEP Directors
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is a program of the United States Department of Education. OSERS' official mission is "to provide leadership to achieve full integration and participation in society of people with disabilities by ensuring equal opportunity and access to,...
(OSERS).
Mission
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is a unit within the U.S Department of Education. Originally created as the Bureau of the Education of the Handicapped in 1967,its purpose is to strengthen and coordinate activities on behalf of students with disabilities. OSEP activities are authorized through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a United States federal law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities...
(IDEA
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
).
Its current mission is to improve results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts. OSEP programs are intended to ensure that the rights of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their parents are protected.
Responsibilities
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) provides leadership and support to assist states and local districts to provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPEFAPE
FAPE can refer to:* Free Appropriate Public Education, an educational right of children with disabilities in the United States* FAPE, the ICAO code for Port Elizabeth Airport in Port Elizabeth, South Africa...
) in the Least Restrictive Environment
Least Restrictive Environment
As part of the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the least restrictive environment is identified as one of the six principles that govern the education of students with disabilities and other special needs...
(LRE) to children with disabilities. OSEP administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which provides for the education of children with disabilities in the United States, pre-kindergarten through high school graduation or age21. Among its responsibilities OSEP aims to:
- Create and disseminate federal policy information regarding early intervention, preschool, elementary and secondary school for students with disabilities;
- Provide state-administered program grants and competitive grants for discretionary programs;
- Fund research and support innovative practice in the education of children with disabilities;
- Promote the training of educational professionals, parents and volunteers;
- Monitor and report on the implementation of federal policy and programs for children with disabilities; and
- Coordinate the review of OSEP activities by stakeholders including: other federal agencies, state agencies, the private sector, parent and professional organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities.
Organization
OSEP Directors
- 1967 Jim Gallagher
- 1990 Judy A.Schrag
- 1993 Tom Hehir
- 1999 Barbara Gantwerk
- 2002 Stephanie Smith Lee
- 2006 Alexa Posny
- 2010 Melody Musgrove
See also
- Special EducationSpecial educationSpecial education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
- No Child Left Behind
- Educational attainment in the United StatesEducational attainment in the United StatesThe educational attainment of the U.S. population is similar to that of many other industrialized countries with the vast majority of the population having completed secondary education and a rising number of college graduates that outnumber high school dropouts. As a whole, the population of the...
- Education in the United StatesEducation in the United StatesEducation in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory.Public education is universally available...
- Secretary of Education
- School Improvement GrantSchool Improvement GrantSchool Improvement Grants are grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to state education agencies under Section 1003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965...
External links
- Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004
- IDEA'S Impact: Thirty Years of Progress in Educating Children with Disabilities Through IDEA
- Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network
- Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)- Home Page
- OSEP Program Funded Activities
- OSEP Grant Opportunities and Funding
- OSEP Publications and Products
- OSEP Research and Statisitics
- OSEP Sponsored National Studies
- OSERS/OSEP Monitoring
- OSEP Sponsored Websites
- OSEP Legislation and Policy