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James Hamilton, Ph.D. jhamilton@air.org Primary Interests Early Intervention and Early Childhood Education Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) Professional Development and Personnel Training Supervision and Personnel Management

Dr. James Hamilton is the Director of the Elementary and Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC). He brings to the project extensive knowledge of research issues related to early intervention for children with disabilities as well as significant experience in knowledge development and use issues that relate to professional development, transition, and children with serious emotional disturbance. He has over 20 years experience at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), where he held a variety of positions dealing with the management of discretionary grant programs authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In addition, he has significant experience teaching and lecturing about children with severe developmental disabilities and multiple handicaps.

As the director of EMSTAC, Dr. Hamilton has overall management responsibility for the Center's activities. Dr. Hamilton oversees all of EMSTAC's activities, including: identifying national technical assistance needs; collaborating with research consultants and local school representatives; and negotiating with school districts to implement the technical assistance model. Additionally, he supervises EMSTAC staff and resources, and controls the budget.

Dr. Hamilton has a solid grasp of research dealing with effective practices for children and youth with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance. During his first six years at OSEP, as research coordinator in the Research Projects Branch, Division of Innovation and Development, Dr. Hamilton was responsible for all research grants and contracts related to children with SED. His responsibilities included preparing program plans, RFPs, and responses to Administration and Congressional inquiries, conducting reviews of applications and proposals, and project monitoring; he was responsible for R&D Centers and Research Institutes that dealt with serious emotional disturbance (SED).

More recently, Dr. Hamilton served for eight years as the Chief of the Early Childhood Branch, Division of Educational Services, OSEP. In this position, he was responsible for the Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities, the Preschool Grants program, and the Part H Program for Infants and Toddlers. In addition he has served as Acting Director of the Division of Educational Services at OSEP. As Acting Director, he managed seven discretionary grant programs authorized by IDEA, including the Secondary and Transition Services Program, the Program for Children with Severe Disabilities, the Postsecondary Education Program for Individuals with Disabilities, the National Clearinghouse Program, and the Regional Resource Center Program.

Dr. Hamilton is expert in early intervention issues. His work at OSEP, where he developed and evaluated innovative models and programs for improving services for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, provides him with a background of indispensable value to EMSTAC. Dr. Hamilton also is knowledgeable in professional development issues, through his work as former Chief of the Leadership Personnel Branch, Division of Personnel Preparation, at OSEP. In this position, he developed, field tested, and disseminated innovative personnel training approaches and materials.

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