Special Education Collaboratives

CASE Collaborative

For 45 years, Concord Area Special Education (CASE) Collaborative has been an organization that allows school districts to plan, develop and implement programs for students with special needs. It affords school districts the opportunity to augment local services and provide a continuum of special education programs through collaboration with member school districts. It provides a mechanism for people to share ideas and resources for the purpose of meeting a common need.

CASE is an educational collaborative agency made up of 11 regional and municipal districts serving the Greater Boston metropolitan area. CASE is governed by a board of directors comprised of ten school superintendents representing each of its member school districts. CASE was formed in 1974 to meet regional needs of member school districts. The main, although not exclusive, focus of CASE Collaborative is children and young adults who require special education.

LABBB Collaborative

LABBB History - Lexington, Arlington, Burlington, Bedford, Belmont

1972-1974 "LAB"
In late 1972, three parents from Lexington and Arlington ("L.A.") met together in a living room with the Directors of Special Education in hopes that a program be developed for their children (17 & 18) to prepare them for the adult work world. The parents purchased a house in Lexington and a teacher was hired to begin the initial LABBB program. The "LAB" Collaborative was formed in response to the need for more specialized programs. The Massachusetts Department of Education approved the "LAB" Collaborative to begin in 1974, which included Lexington, Arlington and Burlington. The Superintendents clearly stated that, "...the programs are for our students, they are our responsibility and they must be of a very high quality." Parental responses to the programs were highly positive.
 
1979-1995 "LABB"
Soon neighboring school districts recognized the high quality of the programs and began requesting to enroll their students who had similar needs in "LAB." The town of Bedford formally became a member in 1979 ("LABB").

1996-Present "LABBB"
In 1996, the town of Belmont joined the collaborative ("LABBB"). This completed the LABBB Collaborative membership as it exists today. Currently, LABBB provides educational programming and support services for over 350 special needs students from over 60 districts. LABBB serves students with a variety of special needs including students on the autism spectrum, students with multi-handicaps, pervasive development disorders, developmental delays, language deficits and social/emotional challenges. The LABBB Collaborative Programs are all located in public school buildings. The unified leadership of the LABBB Superintendents was a key factor in establishing the Collaborative. They continue to promote all programs, keeping them strong and progressive.