Dia Jackson

Dia Jackson has 20 years of experience in special education. Dr. Jackson leads research and technical assistance (TA) projects, with expertise in special education best instructional practices, Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and addressing access and opportunities for students with disabilities. Dr. Jackson leads knowledge development and serves on the Center leadership team for the Lead IDEA Center, a national Office of Special Education Programs-funded TA Center aimed at improving leader capacity to implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Dr. Jackson is also project director for Washington OSPI’s Reducing Restraint and Eliminating Isolation TA project which leverages previous study findings to improve district outcomes. Additionally, she co-leads the New York State Technical Assistance Partnership in Special Education in collaboration with NYU. Dr. Jackson has led numerous TA projects in MTSS across the country and is a nationally recognized leader in MTSS. Dr. Jackson has authored numerous special education publications and national and international presentations. Most notably Dr. Jackson is co-author of CEC/CEEDAR’s High-Leverage Practices for Special Educators (2017 and McLeskey et al., 2019).  

Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Jackson taught special education for over nine years and taught graduate level special education courses in the Washington, DC area.