History

The National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI), a project of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs was established in 1997 to facilitate the unification of current general and special education reform efforts as these are implemented in the nation's urban school districts.

In its first five years, NIUSI partnered with five school districts: Boston, Chicago, Denver, El Paso/Socorro, and Washington, DC. A brief summary document, "The National Institute for Urban School Improvement, Accomplishments and Achievements, 1997-2002," describes the progress of the project's partner districts, as well as its efforts to build a nation of sustainable, inclusive urban schools.

Download Accomplishments and Achievements, 1997-2002
(Note: Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to access this file).

In 2002, the Office of Special Education Programs refunded the National Institute for an additional five years, allowing the project to expand its work to 9 districts:

• Chicago Public Schools
• Cincinnati Public Schools
• Clark County School District, Las Vegas
• Denver Public Schools
• District of Columbia Public Schools
• Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (City of Industry, CA)
• Houston Independent School District
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• New York City Department of Education (Region 10 and 75)