For the past 30 years or so, the Center for Persons with Disabilities at USU has operated the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC), an Office of Special Education Programs funded project.
The MPRRC was recently refunded for another five-year period. Under this new contract, the directorship of the MPRRC has shifted to Dr. Carol Massanari. John Copenhaver will serve as the Principal Investigator for the MPRRC, but he will be focusing his efforts and expertise to the administration of the Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE). TAESE is a not-for-profit center developed to provide technical assistance to states and local education agencies that goes beyond the scope and capacity of the MPRRC. MPRRC is one project among several that are part of TAESE.
The six Regional Resource Centers across the nation assist state education agencies in the systemic improvement of education programs, practices, and policies that affect children and youth with disabilities. The MPRRC serves Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North & South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Their services include consultations, information services, specifically designed technical assistance, training, and product development.
Dr. Bryce Fifield, Director of the Center for Persons with Disabilities, stated “The education of any special education child going to school in those states has been influenced by the work of the MPRRC.”
According to Dr. Massanari, one of the key changes with the new cooperative agreement is an emphasis of greater collaboration across the six Regional Resource Centers in an effort to be more efficient and responsive to state needs. This means that the RRCs will be working together to develop tools and strategies. Each Center will continue to work with individual states, and staff will work across Centers to bring together states from other regions that might have a similar need.
Another way that RRCs will be collaborating is in the development and sharing of tools or resources to reduce duplication of effort. MPRRC will work with other Centers, as appropriate, to develop and implement more specific or focused technical assistance to address a systemic issue or need.
The MPRRC is committed to continuing to provide high-quality, effective technical assistance that will help states improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families.
