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Access to National Studies web sites requires a live Internet connection. Selected SPeNSE fact sheets are available on this CD.

• The National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS) NEILS is a longitudinal study that is following more than 3,300 children with disabilities, or at risk for disabilities, and their families through their experiences in early intervention and into early elementary school. The study will provide information about the characteristics of children and families, the services they receive, and the outcomes they experience.
• Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) The Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) will be a longitudinal study following a nationally representative sample of children ages 3 through 5, with disabilities. The study will follow the children through their experiences in preschool and into early elementary school. In October 1999, SRI International was awarded a 16-month contract to develop the design for this study.
• NLTS2: National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2) NLTS2 is a 10-year study of the experiences of young people who were 13 to 17 years old and receiving special education in the 2000-2001 school year. The sample of approximately 13,000 youth is nationally representative of youth with disabilities in that age group as a whole and those in each federal special education disability category.
• SPeNSE: Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE) The Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE) was designed to address concerns about nationwide shortages in the number of personnel serving students with disabilities and the need for improvement in the qualifications of those employed. Part of a national assessment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandated by Congress, SPeNSE examined (1) the extent to which personnel are adequately prepared to serve students with disabilities, (2) variation in personnel preparation, and (3) factors that explain that variation. Link to SPeNSE Fact Sheets available on this CD.
• State and Local Implementation of IDEA (SLIIDEA) SLIIDEA will examine how the Amendments of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 are being implemented by states, school districts, and schools. In particular, it will address issues focused on student performance, access to the curriculum, behavioral supports, parental involvement, and transitions for young children to school and youth to adult life.
• Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) SEELS is a study of school-age students funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education and is part of the national assessment of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97). From Year 2000 to 2006, SEELS will document the school experiences of a national sample of students as they move from elementary to middle school and from middle to high school.
• Special Education Expenditure Project The latest reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA – 1997) requires data collection and studies to measure and evaluate the impact of the IDEA and the effectiveness of state efforts to provide a free, appropriate public education to all children with disabilities (per Sections 618 of Part B and 674). Under this authorization, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education is funding the first national study of special education expenditures in 15 years.