Mission & History

The mission of the DC Special Education Co-operative (”The Co-operative”) is to provide charter schools in Washington, DC with a support system for their special education programs. Through its programs and services, The Co-operative supports the growth and maintenance of charter-based special education programs that are compliant with special education laws and deliver high quality educational services to students with disabilities.

In 1998, a group of charter school leaders, teachers, special education experts, and local chartering authorities came together to form The Co-operative, the first organization of its kind in the nation. The Co-operative was founded on the belief that, like traditional public schools, charter schools need the technical assistance and support of an educational service agency to create and build quality special education programs. Ten years later, The Co-operative, now recognized nationally as an innovative model, has been replicated in states across the country.