The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) project is a partnership that aims to improve the educational outcomes for children with disabilities. It links families, advocates, and self-advocates to information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The project is designed to address the information needs of the 6 million families throughout the Country whose children with disabilities receive special education services. To learn more: http://www.fape.org/

FAPE was originally funded as one of four projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education to reach parents, administrators, service providers, and policymakers nationwide with information about implementing IDEA '97. In October 2003, the four projects were consolidated into the Unified IDEA Partnership.

In 2004, IDEA was amended significantly and passed into law. Many of the provisions in this new IDEA law became effective on July 1, 2005.

Unified IDEA Partnership

The IDEA Partnership, which consists of 55 national organizations, including NCPIE, is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning. Their website, www.ideapartnership.org contains a wealth of up-to-date information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), strategies for implementation on the state and local level, and valuable resources for all who are invested in improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities.

Building a Unified IDEA Partnership
Transforming the individual partnerships into one unified partnership required a new way of working together while honoring the successes of the past. A period of reorganization and renewal helped us to connect and “feel like” partners by accepting invitations and making connections with others. With a shift to State and local change as our focus, we strive to open the State system for collaborative work and to involve the Partnership organizations and their State affiliates. We demonstrate a commitment to cross-partner work by ensuring that all activities are cross-partner work and by sharing the lessons learned in working across groups to encourage systems to become permanently more collaborative. The goals of the IDEA Partnership are summarized below.

Core Goals of the IDEA Partnership

• Goal 1: To unite the goals and interests of 55 national organizations into a unified but organizationally specific and strategic effort that moves toward greater systemic impact at the State and local levels.
• Goal 2: To deliver accurate, relevant and customized information to policymakers, implementers and consumers regarding No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and IDEA, including Part C (early intervention).
• Goal 3: To promote interaction and cross-stakeholder affiliation around shared issues, including the involvement of individuals from under-represented groups.
• Goal 4: To stimulate cross-stakeholder involvement in State and local systems to deliver professional development and solve IDEA implementation problems.
• Goal 5: To facilitate systemic change and cultural shift toward greater and more meaningful cross-stakeholder involvement in State and local systems change.

Contact state parent centers around the country.

Links

IDEA Partnership Web Site:
http://www.ideapartnership.org/

IDEA Local Implementation by Local Administrators (ILIAD)
The Council for Exceptional Children
www.ideapractices.org
1-877-CEC-IDEA

Associations of Service Providers Implementing IDEA Reforms in Education Partnership (ASPIIRE)
The Council for Exceptional Children
www.ideapractices.org
1-877-CEC-IDEA

Policymakers Partnership (PMP)
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education
www.nasdse.org
1-877-IDEA-INFO