In Spring 2012, the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education- Division of Specialized Education (OSSE-DSE) recognized District local education agencies (LEAs) for demonstrating success in serving students with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). OSSE recognized this progress through the distribution of LRE contract awards which totaled approximately $5M. The awards, which were distributed based on the LEAs’ LRE performance data, gave schools the opportunity to continue to build upon their good work and to showcase their best practices via a District-wide publication. Under the terms of each contract, OSSE required each participating LEA to submit a best practice brief at the end of the award period that addressed the LEA’s specific practices in the following areas: systemic change, resource allocation, professional development, and the development of a continuum of alternative placements. This white paper is a synthesis of the submitted briefs.