IDEA Data Center

What IDEA Data Center does

IDEA Data Center (IDC) is the U.S. Department of Education's designated National Technical Assistance Center for IDEA Part B data, operating under cooperative agreement Grant #H373Y240002 and implemented by Westat as prime contractor alongside a consortium of partners including WestEd, AEM Corporation, the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, Compass Evaluation and Research, and Informatics Studio. The center's mandate is to help state and local education agencies collect, report, analyze, and use accurate IDEA Part B data as required by federal law, with service coverage spanning all 60 U.S. states, entities, and territories.

IDC's core offerings are organized around four technical assistance domains: SPP/APR (State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report) support across all 18 indicators, 618 Data Collections (child count, educational environments, discipline, personnel, exiting, dispute resolution, assessment, MOE/CEIS/CCEIS), General Supervision system guidance, and Local Data Quality improvement. These services are delivered through dedicated State Liaisons, peer groups, drop-in virtual call series, an annual Interactive Institute, an annual SPP/APR Summit, and an online Resource Hub. Supporting tools include EDPass (the data submission system for IDEA Part B collections), the Success Gaps Toolkit, and the Significant Disproportionality Calculator. Content channels include the 'A Date with Data' podcast (77+ episodes as of mid-2026) and 'The Bee' quarterly newsletter.

IDC's business model is non-commercial: all services are provided free of charge to state and local education agencies, funded entirely by the federal grant and operationalized by the Westat-led consortium. Revenue mechanics are therefore grant-draw rather than sales-driven; the center does not generate commercial revenue, has no disclosed pricing model, and has no equity ownership structure. The center is staffed by a small core leadership team (Director Julie Bollmer, Deputy Director Jeanna Mullins, Project Manager Lee Anne Monticelli, Communications Manager Jason Miller, Evaluation Manager Bethany Howell, and multiple TA Leads) augmented by a distributed network of TA providers deployed across the states. Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, IDC's strategic significance derives from its sole-source regulatory designation rather than market competition.

Name

IDEA Data Center

Legal name

IDEA Data Center

Website

https://ideadata.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IDEA Data Center is the U.S. Department of Education's sole National Technical Assistance Center for IDEA Part B data, operated by Westat, providing free compliance support, training, and tools to all 60 state education agencies and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Data Technical Assistance

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment & Test Data Integration and Reporting (EDADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Special education data
• Education technical assistance
• IDEA Part B reporting
• Data quality dashboards
• Education agency support

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grant Funding: IDC operates under a cooperative agreement grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), for The National Technical Assistance Center to Improve State Capacity to Collect, Report, Analyze, and Use Accurate IDEA Part B Data (Grant #H373Y240002). Services are provided free of charge to state and local education agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IDEA Data Center is a federally funded National Technical Assistance Center that provides free, on-demand technical assistance, training, and analytic tools to U.S. state education agencies and local education agencies to improve the collection, validation, reporting, and use of IDEA Part B special education data. Its offerings include the EDPass data submission system, interactive dashboards, required-report calculators, performance reports, help-desk support, and a Trainings Calendar delivered via its website.

Product overview

The IDEA Data Center (IDC) is a national technical assistance center that provides a comprehensive suite of services to help states collect, report, analyze, and use high-quality IDEA Part B data. The core offerings include SPP/APR technical assistance covering all 18 indicators, 618 Data Collections support, General Supervision guidance, and Local Data Quality improvement services. Supporting these core services are sub-products including the 'A Date with Data' monthly podcast, 'The Bee' quarterly newsletter, an online Resource Hub with toolkits and guides, Drop-In Call series for specific topics, and annual Interactive Institute events. IDC operates as a service-based organization rather than a software product company, delivering technical assistance directly to state and local education agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• A Date with Data: IDC's monthly podcast featuring state impact stories and conversations with state special education staff about IDEA data quality.
• The IDC Bee

Products and services

• EDPass Data submission portal used by SEAs/LEAs to submit IDEA Part B data for federal reporting.
• EDPass Mobile Mobile companion application for accessing EDPass functionality on mobile devices.
• IDEA Part B Data Manager Dashboards Interactive dashboards providing data managers with analytic views of IDEA Part B data.
• Required Reports Resources Resource area providing interactive displays and calculators for Child Count, Exiting, Discipline, MOS, and Membership required IDEA Part B reports.
• File-Display Dashboards Dashboards presenting user-uploaded file data for visual analysis and validation.
• LEA Determination Calculator Calculation tool that supports SEAs in determining LEA-level IDEA Part B performance.
• Dispute Resolution Interactive Map Interactive map visualizing dispute resolution data across states.
• Annual Determination Letter Distribution System System used to distribute annual IDEA Part B determination letters to LEAs.
• Child Count/Exiting Performance Reports Performance reports covering Child Count and Exiting IDEA Part B metrics.
• Dispute Resolution Performance Reports Performance reports covering IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution outcomes.
• IDEA Data Center Help Desk Free, on-demand Help Desk support for IDEA Part B data questions, accessed via phone, email, or online form.
• Reporting Child Count Newsletter Email newsletter delivering updates and tips specific to Child Count reporting.
• Virtual Trainings Calendar Calendar listing upcoming IDEA Data Center webinars and virtual trainings on topical content such as Dispute Resolution.
• Dispute Resolution Toolkit Topical resource toolkit supporting states on Dispute Resolution under IDEA Part B.
• Contact Us / TA Request Web-based contact channel allowing SEAs/LEAs to request customized technical assistance from IDEA Data Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served all 60 U.S. states, entities, and territories
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• WestatcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWestat is the primary contractor implementing the IDEA Data Center. IDC operates under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, with Westat providing the infrastructure, staff, and operational capacity to deliver TA services to all 60 states and territories. Westat is headquartered in Rockville, MD.
• WestEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestEd is a key partner providing technical assistance content and expertise as part of the IDC consortium implementing the national TA center for IDEA Part B data.
• AEM CorporationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEM Corporation is part of the IDC partner consortium providing technical assistance services to states on IDEA data quality and compliance.
• University of Kentucky Human Development InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky is a partner in the IDC consortium, contributing expertise in human development and disability services to IDEA data TA efforts.
• Compass Evaluation and Research Inc.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCompass Evaluation and Research provides external evaluation services for IDC, with Bethany Howell serving as External Evaluator to assess center progress and improvement.
• Informatics StudiosupportingTechnology or IntegrationInformatics Studio is a technology partner contributing to IDC's online tools and data system development as part of the consortium implementing the national TA center.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• WestEd: IDC's consortium partner and one of the largest U.S. education research and technical assistance organizations. Comparable as a federal TA delivery partner working with OSEP and state education agencies on IDEA-related systems improvement, and is a strategic IDC partner.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large U.S. behavioral and social science research organization with a major education practice that delivers technical assistance, evaluation, and TA to state education agencies, including OSEP-funded work. Comparable as a large federal TA delivery contractor competing for similar OSEP work.
• Mathematica: Large U.S. research and evaluation firm that delivers technical assistance, data analytics, and policy research to federal and state education agencies, including OSEP-funded work. Comparable as a federal TA delivery contractor in the same ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE): OSEP-funded TA center focused on dispute resolution in special education, including the 618 dispute resolution data collection that IDC also supports. Comparable as a federally funded TA center operating in the same OSEP TA network and serving state education agencies.
• National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI): OSEP-funded TA center that provides intensive technical assistance to states on improving systems and outcomes for children with disabilities. Comparable to IDC in funder, customer base (state agencies), and TA delivery model, with overlapping focus on SPP/APR performance.
• National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO): OSEP-funded TA center providing technical assistance on assessment, accountability, and outcomes for students with disabilities, including support for state data reporting. Comparable as a federally funded TA center serving state education agencies on IDEA-related data quality and accountability.
• Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA Center): OSEP-funded TA center supporting state IDEA Part C and Section 619 systems. Comparable as a federally funded OSEP TA center serving state agencies with parallel grant mechanics and TA delivery model.
• DaSy Center (Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems): OSEP-funded national technical assistance center that helps states build data systems for IDEA Part C and Part 619 (early childhood). It is the closest sister center to IDC: same funder (OSEP), same mission family (IDEA data systems), same customer base (state education agencies), and complementary scope (Part C vs. IDC's Part B).
• Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR): OSEP-funded parent training and information center providing TA to parents of children with disabilities. Comparable as a federally funded TA center in the OSEP network serving the broader IDEA stakeholder community with similar content-and-convening delivery mechanics.
• National Postschool Outcomes Center: OSEP-funded TA center supporting postschool outcomes data collection and reporting for youth with disabilities. Comparable as an OSEP-funded TA center focused on IDEA data collection and reporting to states.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IDEA Data Center