The autism trends presentation also outlines Lowell Public Schools’ broader special education initiatives, including a "Special Education Strategic objective design year in 2026-27," strengthening tiered supports and inclusive ideology, developing inclusive support models, scaling programming to match community needs, training administrators to better support and evaluate special education staff, and investing in professional development for all staff on inclusive practices, differentiation, and supporting students with autism and complex needs. Additionally, there is a plan to launch paraprofessional training in Fall 2026 and increase family engagement and training. These priorities imply upcoming needs for strategic planning facilitation, MTSS design, PD content and delivery, coaching models, and paraprofessional training curricula. Since no external partners are named, this represents a pre-RFP opportunity for consulting firms, PD vendors, and training providers with expertise in special education systems, MTSS, and inclusive practices to propose frameworks and services that can underpin Lowell’s multi-year special education strategy.

Initiatives span system design, PD, paraprofessional training, and family engagement, suggesting mul...