Regional Support for Families of Students with Disabilities. John White State Superintendent of Education

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1 Regional Support for Families of Students with Disabilities John White State Superintendent of Education June 1, 2017 Amended June 5, 2017 (funding clarification page 5)

2 Table of Contents Background and Purpose... 3 Program Priorities... 3 Application and Timeline... 5 Eligibility and Funding... 5 Appendices Application Narrative... 6 Cover Page... 8 Budget Form

3 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) is seeking partnerships with Louisiana based organizations that provide regional support to families of students with disabilities. The purpose of the partnership is to provide regional assistance to families of students with disabilities who need support with special education programming decisions for their child. This partnership between the LDE and family organizations is critical in ensuring that families across the state understand their child s right to a free and appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and have access to knowledgeable peers in their area who can provide guidance and support as they make important decisions about their child s education. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS The LDE is seeking applications from Louisiana based organizations with a broad mission of serving the families of all students with disabilities defined in IDEA. Applicants must be able to develop a plan to provide in-person and virtual outreach and support to families attending all public schools within at least one of the 10 geographic groups outlined in this RFA. The first cohort of partnerships will be funded from October 2017 through September PROGRAM PRIORITIES The partnerships funded through this competitive opportunity will be expected to identify families of students with disabilities within a prescribed region and actively engage and support those families to ensure they understand all of the opportunities available to help their child have a successful K-12 experience that prepares them for life after high school. PRIORITY 1: Strategic Outreach and Support Goal 1: Through the implementation of a strategic outreach plan, regional family support partners will engage at least 20 new families of students with disabilities from their region each quarter. Goal 2: Through the implementation of a strategic engagement plan, regional family support partners will maintain contact with at least 50% of the families of students with disabilities in their region. The LDE supports local education agencies (LEAs) through a strategic regional support structure known as Network teams. Family support partners will follow a similar model of regional support to families based on geographic groupings across the state that align with the LDE Network structure. Partners will develop and execute a strategic outreach plan for identifying and supporting families of students with disabilities in the region for which they are applying to support. Outreach and support will focus on identifying and continuously engaging families of students with disabilities attending a K-12 program in the specific region. Activities for outreach must be rooted in data gathered from a needs assessment for the specific region and must include, but are not limited to, hosting regional discussions on specific topics and working with LEAs to identify parents in need of support. 3

4 Grouping for Family Support Partnerships (includes all public charter and special schools in the Parish) Network A Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Union, Ouachita, City of Monroe, Caldwell, LaSalle Catahoula, Concordia, Tensas, Franklin, Richland, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison, Jackson, Lincoln Grant, Winn, Claiborne, Webster, Bienville, Natchitoches, Sabine, De Soto, Red River, Bossier, Caddo St. Landry, Evangeline, Allen, Vernon, Avoyelles, Rapides * N/A Network B Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 St. Charles, St. John, St. James, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, Ascension Acadia, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Mary, Vermillion* Beauregard, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Cameron N/A Network C Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 St. Tammany, Washington, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard* Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Feliciana, City of Bogalusa East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, Livingston, City of Baker, City of Central, City of Zachary * notes LEA not grouped with traditional network structure PRIORITY 2: Collaboration with the LDE Orleans and New Orleans Charters Goal 1: With the coordination and assistance from regional family support liaisons, at least 10 families of students with disabilities will attend each regional community meeting hosted by Network Teams and LDE staff. Through the regional Network structure, the LDE will host regional community meetings across the state for special education stakeholders. Family support partners will be responsible for identifying a strategy for increasing attendance of parents of students with disabilities at these events and following-up with families on the topics discussed. Goal 2: Regional support partners will identify specific goals and action plans for each school system in their region. Partners will collaborate with LDE staff to implement a goal setting process for outreach and support each quarter. This will include reviewing data for each school system the partner is supporting, establishing goals, evaluating progress towards those goals, implementing activities to help achieve the goals, and adjusting goals and activities based on progress on a quarterly basis. Quarterly Planning and Collaboration Process Phase 1: Reflect Phase 2: Set Goals Phase 3: Implement Partners will reflect on prior accomplishments in the region they support and identify additional needs Partners will set measurable goals Partners will implement activities to help achieve goals 4

5 APPLICATION AND TIMELINE Release of The Regional Support for Families of Students with Disabilities RFA June 1, 2017 Deadline to Submit Application July 3, 2017 Clarification Conference Calls (as needed) July 10-21, 2017 Notification of Award August 16, 2017 Funding Period October 2017 September 2020 ELIGIBILITY AND FUNDING Louisiana based organizations with the specific mission of serving all families of students with disabilities defined within IDEA, not those that have a disability specific mission, are eligible to apply. The Department will award a maximum total of $500,000 each year ($1.5 million maximum total over three years of partnerships) to regional partnerships that support families of students with disabilities. Maximum awards of $50,000 per year (maximum total of $150,000 for three years) will be awarded to one proposal per regional group outlined in this RFA that presents a high-quality plan meeting the priorities identified in the RFA. The partnership will be funded through the LDE s federal IDEA funds. QUESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Contact specialeducation@la.gov with questions or for additional information. 5

6 APPLICATION NARRATIVE The application narrative is limited to a maximum of 4 single-spaced pages. The narrative must include the headings shown below, in the order given. If any applicant intends to submit a proposal for more than one regional group outlined in this RFA, the applicant must submit an application narrative and budget for each region individually and include an additional one page cover letter that outlines how the proposals connect and will be appropriately staffed. Submit the Cover Page, Budget Page, and Application Narrative via to specialeducation@la.gov by 5p.m. on July 3, A. Experience Briefly describe experience with supporting families of students with disabilities in understanding the opportunities available to their child s education. Proposals should include the following types of information: Detail of experience in working with families of students with disabilities Detail of experience working with state and federal laws and regulations related to special education services Detail of experience in collaborating with schools and families to achieve a specific outcome Specific examples of using data to make strategic decisions about priorities and goals B. Priority One Describe the proposed activities and how these activities will address the goals of engaging with at least 20 new families and maintaining contact with at least 50% of families of students with disabilities attending public school in the region supported each quarter. Proposals should include: The types of activities that will be conducted to identify families of students with disabilities who are not currently actively engaged in regional support activities The types of strategic outreach activities that will be conducted to identify families of students with disabilities who are not currently receiving contact (such as s and outreach calls) from a regional support partner The types of information that will be shared with families at regional activities The types of priorities and goals that will be set on a regional basis and for each school system represented in the region to increase the partnerships ability to engage new families o This should include a needs analysis of specific data publically available in special education data and the most recent LEA performance profiles The type of deliverables and measureable outcomes that will result from the partnership 6

7 C. Priority Two Describe the process of collaboration with the LDE Office of Special Education Policy and Network team staff. Proposals should include: An outline of strategies that will be used to increase attendance of families from all Parishes represented by the partner at regional community meetings A specific example of a measurable goal and action plan the partner would develop using specific data reviewed in priority one. 7

8 COVER PAGE AND BUDGET FORM COVER PAGE Name of Submitting Organization: Address of Institution (Department/Unit Address, City, State, Zip Code): Title of Proposal: The signature below certifies that the institution and the proposal are in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations. Authorized Representative Name: Name of Organization: Title: Telephone: Address: SIGNATURE: BUDGET FORM Describe how the funds will be spent for each of the categories identified below. Budget Item Description Amount Overhead and Administration Strategic Outreach and Support to Families Collaboration and Professional Development Supplies Other Objects TOTAL 8