CEC-DR Membership

We contribute to the field.

CEC-DR sponsors program strands at conferences of the special education profession including at annual conventions of the Council for Exceptional Children and affiliated divisions. Sessions are devoted to research topics aimed at furthering knowledge of children and youth with disabilities and effective practices for educating these students. At such meetings CEC-DR members have opportunities for professional growth and networking with colleagues who share their interests. In particular, we support graduate students and other new researchers. Graduate students are represented at the top levels of our division. We are committed to helping new researchers with opportunities to present their work at CEC-sponsored conferences and in publications. DR also makes webinar presentations on research quality and evidence-based practices, and publishes position papers, special issues, and articles on these and other research topics.

We recognize exemplary contributions in the field.

The Division for Research has developed a program of awards to recognize the contributions of researchers at various stages in their careers. DR presents the Kauffman-Hallahan Distinguished Researcher Award, the Distinguished Distinguished Early Career Research Award and the Early Publication Award annually at the CEC national convention. In addition, at this same event, DR honors student researchers who are recipients of the division's Student Research Awards for their studies using single subject, quantitative and qualitative research designs.

We advocate for the profession and for research.

The Division's executive board has worked with numerous organizations, local, state, and federal education officials, and parents to promote research for students with disabilities. Such efforts have included support for research into practice initiatives, in promoting fair and appropriate funding for special education research, and in actively sharing ideas on federally sponsored research in the education of children with disabilities funded by the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences.

We stay in touch.

CEC-DR has an extensive database of members to keep them abreast of new developments in the special education research community and opportunities for beginning researchers to present and discuss their works. Members are contacted both through regular mail and electronically.

Join Us!

We're a community of researchers, teachers, administrators, faculty, and other people invested in furthering research to support students with disabilities. We'd love to have you join the 1000+ of us across the world. Below, you can read about our mission, our opportunities and resources, and how easy it is to join!

Mission

CEC Division for Research (CEC-DR) is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children devoted to the advancement of research related to the education of individuals with disabilities and/or who are gifted. The goals of CEC-DR include the promotion of equal partnership with practitioners in designing, conducting, and interpreting research in special education.

Opportunities and Resources

CEC-DR offers opportunities to connect with colleagues, access resources, engage in public policy efforts, and attend professional development events. There are several ways to get involved through volunteering, events, and programs:

• CEC-DR Focus on Research Newsletter, a digital resource containing synthesis of current evidence in the field, member opinion, and debate; subcommittee updates; and calls for CEC-DR awards.
• DR Scholars is our cohort-based opportunities for doctoral students, which include Doctoral Student Seminars in Special Education Research, an online seminar and discussion series designed to foster connections among advanced doctoral students at different universities to contribute to raising the standard of research through sustained inquiry into the question: “What makes for excellence in special education research?”
• DiveIn: A Podcast about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Special Education Research, where Dr. Federico Waitoller delves into issues such as the disproportional representation of minority students in special education as well as diversifying the teacher workforce with experts including Alfredo Artiles, Elizabeth Bettini, Maria Cioè-Peña, Erica McCray, and LaRon Scott.
• The Next Generation of Quality Indicators for Research in Special Education Webinar Series, an 8-part webinar series where author teams present about each of the quality indicators articles from the special issue in Exceptional Children (Vol. 89, Issue 4).
• CEC-DR Social at the Annual Council of Exceptional Children Convention. All members are invited to attend the social to network and deepen relationships with colleagues and new scholars. Details will be emailed to members leading up to the event.

You can also stay up to date on all CEC-DR happenings via our social media platforms!

· Bluesky: @cec-dr.bsky.social

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divisionforresearch