For more than three decades, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has served as a laboratory for developing, evaluating, and disseminating innovative educational practices for children with diverse learning needs. Head Start was inspired by the Early Training Project, one of the Kennedy Center's founding research projects in the 1960s. Inclusive early education for children with and without disabilities was pioneered here in the early 1970s. Curricula for children with multiple disabilities, sensory losses, and other special needs have been developed here and disseminated nationally. See Research Topics for current studies related to education.

Outreach programs for educators at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center include the following.

Britt Henderson Training Series for Educators

This annual series of workshops provides training for general and special education teachers, with the goal of improving the quality of education for students with diverse learning needs in inclusive settings.

Center for Accelerated Student Learning (CASL)

CASL was a multi-university research center that developed and disseminated strategies to accelerate learning for students with disabilities in the early grades and thereby provided a solid foundation for strong achievement in the intermediate grades and beyond. CASL provided a free newsletter, research reports, manuals, videotapes, and other materials. The program was discontinued, but the its materials are still available.

The IRIS Project

The goal of the IRIS (IDEA '04 - the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Research for Inclusive Settings) Center is to provide free, online, interactive training enhancements to be used in both college and university courses and in professional development activities for practicing educators. The work builds upon the highly successful work of a previous national effort, The IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement. This new effort will continue the development and support of training modules that incorporate the "How People Learn" theory to translate research about the education of students with disabilities into practice. This new project, The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements, is expanding services not only to include college faculty who are preparing the next generation of teachers and education professionals, but also to support the efforts of professional development providers who work with practicing education professionals.

PALS (Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies)

PALS was developed by Kennedy Center Investigators Lynn Fuchs, PhD, and Doug Fuchs, PhD, and has been approved by the U. S. Department of Education’s Program Effectiveness Panel for inclusion in the National Diffusion Network of effective educational practices. PALS Reading and PALS Math enable classroom teachers to accommodate diverse learners and to help a large proportion of these students achieve success. Brochure and materials are available.

Curriculum-Based Measurement

Weekly Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) tests provide systematic, frequent feedback to students and teachers. CBM is one of several validated classroom-based and school-wide interventions developed to increase educators' capacity to improve students' learning and to accommodate diverse learning needs.

PAVE (Providing Access to the Visual Environment)

PAVE provides technical assistance for teachers of students with low vision, as well as for parents, and direct instruction for children. PAVE assists any child with low vision, age 3 to 21 in Lead Education Agencies in Tennessee, private schools, or the Tennessee School for the Blind. Anne Corn, (615) 322-2249.

Tennessee Deafblind Project (TREDS)

TREDS (Tennessee Technical Assistance and Resources for Enhancing Deafblind Supports) provides training for educators through workshops, conferences, and in-service activities. Topics include positive behavior supports and communication, assistive technology, transition issues, and family issues. TREDS provides a free newsletter.

Treatment and Research Institute on Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD)

A program of Vanderbilt Children's Hospital with research by Kennedy Center investigators, TRIAD offers a variety of school-based services.

National Research Center on Learning Disabilities

The National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD) conducts research on the identification of learning disabilities; formulates implementation recommendations; disseminates findings; and provides technical assistance to national, state, and local constituencies.

The National Individualizing Preschool Inclusion Project

The Individualizing Inclusion approach hinges on three critical components: functional intervention planning, integrated therapy, and embedded intervention.