Enhancing Capacity for Special Education Leadership
A statewide program to lead innovation in administrator preparation, the “Enhancing Capacity for Special Education Leadership” (ECSEL) project was funded through the WA State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as a one-year pilot program. Initial funding of $171,000 launched the program with a cohort of 10 candidates. With this initial support from OSPI, a collaboration among five campuses of the University of Washington and Washington State University and the state’s Education Service Districts, ECSEL was awarded funding to continue and expand Washington’s first preparation program specifically designed to prepare local administrators of special education.
This five-year grant from the U. S. Department of Education provided $1.25 million and concluded December 31, 2018. OSPI approved continued funding for the ECSEL program for the past seven years, providing enhanced supports for aspiring and new administrators of local special education programs. The OSPI ECSEL project, led by PI Tom Bellamy and Program Coordinator Bill Rasplica, is now funded at $150,000 each year.