The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC supports children and youth with exceptionalities by advocating for appropriate governmental policies, setting professional standards, providing professional development, and supporting the professionals who work on behalf of children and youth with exceptionalities. CEC represents all disciplines in the field, including teachers, early interventionists, administrators, researchers, and higher education faculty who are teaching the next generation of special educators.

CEC was founded as The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children by a group of administrators and supervisors attending the summer session at Teachers College, Columbia University, on August 10, 1922. Elizabeth E. Farrell was CEC's founder and first president from 1922-26.

CEC works to foster and effectively communicate the use of evidence-based practices in general and special education and early intervention. CEC Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education are applied by researchers to better understand the effectiveness of a range of practices for learners with disabilities.

An essential element in CEC's vision is having well-prepared special educators working with all children and youth, birth through age 21. CEC works to enhance the knowledge, skills, diversity and cultural competency of the profession by providing the resources its members need, including:

• A Convention & Expo that is the premier gathering of special and gifted education professionals in the world.

• Cutting-edge professional development products and services.

• Award-winning journals, TEACHING Exceptional Children and Exceptional Children, which is the most cited special and gifted education journal.

• A vibrant online networking community built exclusively for CEC members to share, collaborate, and connect with one another.

CEC standards provide benchmarks for developing or revising policy and procedures for program accreditation, entry-level licensure, professional practice, and continuing professional growth. The ethics and standards presented in What Every Special Educator Must Know: Ethics, Standards, and Guidelines provide direction to colleges and universities that prepare teachers, as well as to states as they develop new licensure frameworks for special educators.

CEC works to foster mutual understanding and reciprocal global partnerships to support the profession in improving the lives of individuals with exceptionalities. CEC collaborates with its Division of International Special Education Services (DISES) and other global partners to improve special and gifted education around the world.

CEC members gather to network, learn, and share within state and provincial units in the United States and Canada. CEC's 18 special interest divisions focus on the most critical issues in special education: developmental disabilities and autism; behavioral disorders; administration; diagnostic services; communicative disabilities and deafness; cultural and linguistic diversity; early childhood; learning disabilities; physical, health, and multiple disabilities; research; global issues; career development and transition; visual impairments; gifted education; teacher education; and technology.