The National Center for Special Education Research, part of the Institute for Education Sciences, has selected the American Institutes for Research to lead the Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative (SPARC Center). The SPARC Center will help address long-standing challenges related to the composition, distribution, stability, and effectiveness of the special education teacher workforce. The SPARC Center will conduct a cohesive, mixed-methods program of research using state longitudinal data systems (SLDS) and qualitative data to explore factors shaping these challenges while pursuing national leadership activities to build research capacity and improve data systems for studying the special education teacher workforce. To pursue these objectives, the SPARC Center will leverage interdisciplinary partnerships among scholars of education policy and special education and seven state education agencies that will contribute SLDS data. Learn more about the SPARC Center and stay up to date with SPARC Center news on X @SPARC_Center and LinkedIn @SPARC Center