A Special Education Cooperative

Partnering with School Districts to Serve Students with Unique Needs

A Commitment to Excellence

Who We Serve

Serving School Districts and Special Education Cooperatives

Northwestern Illinois Association was established in the late 1960s in response to new mandates for the provision of Special Education Services by public schools. Today our cooperative serves over 60 school districts in the following 10 Counties: Kane, DeKalb, Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Lee, Carroll and Whiteside.

Our Mission

Partnership with Purpose

Northwestern Illinois Association partners with member districts and cooperatives to provide responsive, innovative and highly specialized services to meet the unique needs of each learner.

Image of teacher with young boy at computer

Our Values

Image of teacher with special needs child

We Promote a Culture of Excellence

Improvement: We continuously look for better ways to serve students, districts, and one another—because every small improvement compounds our collective impact.
Accountability: We own our actions and honor our commitments, building trust and delivering results that students, districts, and teammates can count on.
Collaboration: We achieve more when every voice is heard, we actively support one another, and we celebrate shared success in a positive environment.

"The cooperative model provided by NIA has become a necessary and important resource for districts in our region given the scarcity of qualified practitioners in our field and the difficult financial climate. Often they are able to secure highly specialized resources that individual districts are unable to secure independently."

Crystal Swan Gravatt

Director of Special Education for Sandwich CUSD

Our Services

NIA provides a variety of support services to member school districts. These services address the individual needs of students, provide information, technical assistance, and support to families and education teams.