The Council for Exceptional Children Awards Three Interdivisional Grants
Arlington, Va., March 10, 2024 ― The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is excited to announce the first Interdivisional Grants Program (IGP) recipients. The IGP supports collaboration between CEC’s 18 Special Interest Divisions while supporting special education professionals and the communities they serve. The 2024 awards represent ten Special Interest Divisions and funding of $20,000 across all three projects.
2024 IGP Projects
Critical Global Conversations: Supporting Youth, Families, & Educators in Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Practices
Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES)
Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT)
Division of Visual and Performing Arts Education (DARTS)
Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
DISES, DCDT, DARTS, and DEC plan to create an innovative cross-division 5-part video podcast series to foster critical global conversations that support youth, families, and educators in culturally responsive and sustaining practices during and beyond the birth-to-20 experience.
Each podcast will highlight members of the CEC community, provide application activities, and share research-based quick facts and practices. The series will walk members through (1) self-awareness of intersectionality, (2) learning about others and uncovering our own positionality, (3) critical examination of current practices, (4) learning and unlearning culturally responsive and sustaining practices for living, learning, and working, and (5) reflective praxis.
The collaborative series will acknowledge the great work being done across CEC divisions and will amplify the gifts and practices of learners, families, and educators at the local, national, and global levels.
Policy to Practice: A Web Based Repository of Individuals, Strategies and Resources Focused Upon the Prevention of & Response to the Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities
Division of Leaders and Legacy (DLL)
Division for Research (CEC-DR)
Complex and Chronic Conditions: The Division for Physical, Health and Multiple Disabilities (CCC)
The 2018 CEC Policy on the Prevention of and Response to Maltreatment established the need, but not the means to inform and support special education professionals’ knowledge, strategies, and resources to prevent and respond to the maltreatment of their students.
This project aims to address this shortcoming by canvasing the members of DLL, DR, CCC, other educational professionals, and parents to identify, document, share, and collaborate with individuals who are actively and effectively working to prevent and/or respond to the maltreatment of children with disabilities, i.e., “Bright Spots.” The resulting Bright Spot knowledge, strategies and resources will be shared via web-based technologies (e.g., Web sites, bulletin boards, chat rooms, eblasts, etc.), conference presentations, course syllabi, and professional development settings.
The resulting knowledge base will provide an initial database of “what works” to provide students with disabilities, their educators, and parents with the knowledge, strategies, and resources needed to enhance the safety and success of students with disabilities.
Leading the Way: AI in Special Education Teacher Education
Teacher Education Division (TED)
The Association for the Gifted (TAG)
Innovations in Special Education Technology Division (ISET)
TED, TAG, and ISET will develop and host a series of webinars on AI in Teacher Education, Use of AI to Support Students with Disabilities and AI Literacy for Talent. This collaboration between the TAG, TED and ISET groups aims to represent diverse scholars, family members, and educators, while promoting a conversation on guidelines for the responsible and innovative use of AI tools in teacher education.
This project combines the work of at least 3 Divisions to offer guidance on the rapid development of AI tools in education to increase the impact of CEC’s policy agenda for education professionals and individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Being at the forefront of AI implications for the application and literacy of AI with exceptional populations will support teachers, schools, and students.
The projects mentioned above will take place through 2024. Visit the CEC events page to participate in the upcoming programs and bookmark the Special Education Today blog for updates during the year.
Interested in participating in the next IGP? Make sure you’re a member of CEC, join a special interest division, and visit this summer when the next round of applications opens: https://exceptionalchildren.org/interdivisional-grant-program.
CEC’s Special Interest Divisions are among the most rewarding benefits of being a CEC member. These focused groups bring together CEC members based on their professional interests, roles, practice setting, or focus on a specific exceptionality.