Special Education

REGISTER NOW for the Early Childhood Coordinators Administrative Leadership Institute and Community of Practice for 2022-2023

AnLar, through a contract with the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)'s Office of Special Education Planning and Policy Development, is offering a yearlong, no cost, Early Childhood Coordinators Administrative Leadership Institute for individuals currently working as early childhood special education coordinators in a Massachusetts Public School District.

This Institute is an opportunity for participants to examine and increase their competency in the components of effective leadership of early childhood special education programs, including instructional leadership, management and operations, professional culture, and family and community engagement. The Institute explores the intersection of several key topics and initiatives within these components, including systems change and implementation science, special education laws and regulations, results-driven accountability, IEP development, and effective transition from early intervention. Other topics of interest are explored as time allows. The course consists of two 2-day in-person meetings, virtual cohort meetings, a cross-cohort Communities of Practice (CoP), online discussion, and other asynchronous activities, as well as coaching and one-on-one technical assistance. It is designed to equip early childhood special educators with tools to improve student outcomes and foster family and community engagement while remaining compliant with regulations and aligning to best practices in the field. Course topics include:

  • leadership and systems change
  • special education laws and regulations
  • results-driven accountability
  • IEP development
  • effective transitions from early intervention
  • instructional leadership
  • management and operations
  • professional culture
  • family and community engagement
  • implementation science
  • additional special topics depending on the interests of participants.

If you are not the Early Childhood Coordinator for your district, please forward this email to the appropriate contact.

The institute meets the DESE standards for High Quality Professional Development (HQPD), and will support the following principles of high-quality IEP development:

  • The use of functional and ongoing assessment, grounded in culturally responsive practices, to gather information about a child to inform both planning and instruction;
  • Effective teaming and collaboration with all the members of the IEP team to build upon the expertise of each individual, including families, general educators, special educators, related service providers, school and district administrators, and the child with a disability, with a focus on understanding the impact of implicit biases in educators' observations and interactions with children and their families;
  • Using effective family engagement throughout the IEP development and implementation process, with a focus on trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices; and
  • Ensuring meaningful and effective student engagement as the foundation for life-long self-advocacy and self-determination for individuals with disabilities.

The institute sessions and materials will be provided at no cost to selected participants. Graduate credit from Framingham State University will be available for an additional cost.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the institute will be offered primarily virtually. Participants will participate in regularly scheduled virtual presentations, discussions, and community of practice calls. Participants will also review asynchronous content presentations and engage regularly in an online discussion board. There will be two required in-person meetings - the first will be held from October 27 to October 27, 2022 and the second will be held from March 23 to March 24, 2023 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center.

The total estimated time for participants to attend/complete the synchronous meetings, asynchronous activities, and the in-person conference is 71 hours over the course of the institute. Each participant will also be responsible for designing and implementing a Capstone Project. See below for details regarding the selection criteria.

Interested individuals should complete a registration form and sign the ECLI Agreement by Thursday, September 15, 2022. Acceptances will be decided by DESE, and participants will be notified of acceptance to the institute by September 30, 2022 and thereafter on a space-available basis.

Priority will be given to districts based on their determination level:

  • NI Districts
  • NA Districts
  • Chronically Underperforming Schools
  • Districted applied last year but not accepted




Last Updated: September 7, 2022



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