Highlight your school’s exemplary programs and services for students with special needs by entering the Innovations in Special Education Award program.

If you have a new, successful, groundbreaking program that has been in place for at least one school year (starting on or before Sept. 30, 2023), we want to hear about it.

The awards program is part of Special Education Week in New Jersey – 2024 and is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association and ASAH, serving private special education schools and agencies since 1974.

Since it began in 2002, the Innovations program has drawn wide interest from the state’s special education community. In 2023, five entries received top honors. Learn more about the 2023 winners and the details of each program in this video.

Submission Procedure

Entries must be submitted electronically and are limited to the entry form only. Provide a detailed, specific description of the program in the space provided on the form. The accuracy and clarity of the description matters. Be clear and succinct. If judges have questions, they cannot evaluate the merits of the program. Supplemental information such as photos, brochures, news articles, etc., must be merged into the entry form as one document. Separate supplementary documents may not be considered if emailed as separate documents.

Entries must be received by 4:30 p.m., March 21, 2024

Click HERE for an entry form for the 2024 program.

Winners will be acknowledged in a video presentation during Special Education Week in New Jersey, May 12-18, 2024, and by the New Jersey Department of Education’s Special Education Advisory Council at a meeting in June 2024.

For further information about the annual Special Education Award program, visit the award page on the NJSBA website or contact Ann Marie Smith, assistant editor/communications program specialist, via email.