What Is Partnership Work in the States?

State agencies are faced with complex challenges for which few solutions exist. Their stakeholders are consumers and providers of services (and their organizations) who can bring their knowledge and experience to States’ efforts. When policy and practice are grounded in the realities of practitioners in schools and local agencies, and of family organizations, professional associations, and higher education, they are more likely to be implemented and succeed. The IDEA Partnership facilitates State agencies in sharing important work with stakeholders in meaningful ways, and developing mutual trust between decision-makers and those affected by decisions. A fundamental strategy is the award of small seed grants to States that submit plans for effective stakeholder collaboration. These “laboratory States” also connect with one another.

Partnership work in the States is organized around issues, through activities that have the potential to build the capacities of States and stakeholder groups to improve results for students with disabilities. Our current partnership work targets (a) collaborative professional development and (b) school behavioral health services. Leaders from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are in close touch with these activities.

Information on two earlier partnerships with States is included here because they formed the foundations for important new work. The initiative on Title I - IDEA collaboration led directly to our No Child Left Behind - IDEIA Community of Practice (see National Communities of Practice). The previous initiative on Education, Mental Health, and Families was the forerunner of both our new State partnership work in school behavioral health and our national Community of Practice on school behavioral health services. The development and results of these earlier State partnerships are chronicled in their stories.

The IDEA Partnership provides small seed grants to States for mutual work with partner organizations and other stakeholders to improve statewide professional development and make it more permanently inclusive across disciplines and families.

Between 2002 and 2004, six States were supported by seed grants, with the goal of building a shared agenda across education, mental health, and family interests -- and applying cross-stakeholder expertise and experience to issues on the States’ agendas.

These are The IDEA Partnership’s “laboratory States” for action research on how national organizations, their affiliates, and other stakeholders can work closely with State agencies to improve school behavioral health services.