1922 The International Council for the Education of Exceptional Children is organized by a group of administrators and supervisors attending the summer session at Teachers College, Columbia University, and their faculty members on August 10, 1922. The Council begins with 12 members. Elizabeth E. Farrell was the Founder and first President, 1922-26.
1942 Journal of Exceptional Children (renamed Exceptional Children in 1951) becomes property of CEC.
1953 Constitution revised to provide for special interest divisions.
1958 CEC renamed The Council for Exceptional Children.
1958 Committee on Canadian Affairs established, later called the CEC Canadian Committee (1968), then the Canadian Council for Exceptional Children (1979).
1963 J.E. Wallace Wallin Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award established to honor an individual who has made continued and sustained contributions to the field.
1964 CEC Outstanding Public Service Award established, celebrating individuals who exhibit unwavering dedication to supporting children, youth and adults with exceptionalities.  Recipients have included the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and U.S. Senators Tom Harkin, Barbara Mikulski, Chuck Grassley and U.S. Representatives Chris Van Hollen and Mike Castle.
1965 Student CEC authorized, bringing pre-service teachers into the organization.
1966 CEC receives U.S. Office of Education grant to operate the ERIC Clearinghouse on Exceptional Children.
1968 TEACHING Exceptional Children initiated.
1975 The Education For All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) is passed. CEC was the principal force in bringing to the U.S. Congress the need for such a law and building the support for its passage.
1978 CEC's First World Congress on Future Special Education convenes in Scotland, with more than 2,000 participants from 39 countries.
1984 Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award established to honor a CEC member  whose work exemplifies the best in special education teaching.
1988 CEC Outstanding Leadership Award established to honor his award honors a CEC member who has made significant contributions to the Council’s programs and activities at the local, state/provincial and national/international level over an extended period of time.
1989 CEC Special Education Research Award established to honor an individual or research team whose research has made significant contributions to the education of children and youth with exceptionalities.
1992 CEC Business Award established to honor a business that has promoted awareness, and employment of individuals with exceptionalities and their full participation within the community.
2000 CEC released Bright Futures for Exceptional Learners: An Agenda To Achieve Quality Conditions for Teaching & Learning, a study that identified barriers to high-quality special education and the issues underlying high teacher attrition rates, and proposed an action agenda.
2003 CEC released its Policy on Assessment and Accountability stating that all students with disabilities should be included in assessment and accountability systems and should have the opportunity to participate in general assessments, assessments with accommodations including off-grade level testing or alternate assessments that reflect valid and reliable performance.
2004 CEC helps guide Congress in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
2004 CEC released its Policy on Exit Exams for Students with Exceptionalities to ensure that exit exams are appropriately carried out regarding students with exceptionalities and that multiple measures that document student learning and skills development should be used with accommodations when appropriate, in the decision-making process.
2004 CEC releases its Definition of a Well-Prepared Special Education Teacher, a paper based on the fifth edition of What Every Special Educator Must Know: Ethics, Standards, and Guidelines for Special Educators, to define the  criteria for a competent beginning special educator.
2008 CEC released its Policy on Safe and Positive School Climate stating that all schools should have clear policies that prohibit harassment and discriminatory behaviors of any kind, including those related to ethnic background, language, age, abilities, family status, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religious and spiritual values, and geographic location.
2008 CEC released its Position on Response to Intervention (RTI) stating that any RTI process must include non-negotiable guarantees related to special education and the key role of special educators.
2009 CEC achieves a significant victory in its long-time quest for full funding of IDEA; Congress passes and President Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes an historic increase in IDEA funding, creating unprecedented opportunities in the field of special education.
2009 CEC released its Policy on Physical Restraint and Seclusion Procedures in School Settings stating that physical restraint and seclusion should be used in emergency situations only.
2010 CEC adopts new Special Education Ethical Principles and Practice Standards to provide the leadership and guidance that respect the diverse characteristics and needs of individuals with exceptionalities and their families.
2010 Collaborated with the Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES), the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), and the Center for Education Initiatives (CEI) on Embracing Inclusive Approaches for Children and Youth With Special Education Needs Conference, in Riga, Latvia.
2010 Edited new publication, Inclusion for ALL: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, sharing the vision for the implementation of services and supports to people with disabilities.
2011 Joined a delegation of U.S. special educators to Saudi Arabia to participate in a workshop, Improving Special Education Departments in Saudi Universities.
2011 Collaborated with the Open Society Foundations to continue to provide training and technical assistance to targeted countries to build capacity in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Western Africa.
2011 CEC released its Policy on Children with Exceptionalities in Charter Schools stating that chartering agency and authorizer, and, ultimately, the highest governmental authority of charter schools must ensure that the rights of children and youth with exceptionalities are upheld.
2011 CEC released its CEC Position on School Vouchers opposing school vouchers for children and youth and those with disabilities as being contrary to their best interests, the public school system, local communities, and taxpayers, and that that vouchers both contradict and undermine central purposes of civil rights laws designed to protect children and youth with disabilities.
2012 Celebrated CEC's 90th Anniversary.
2012 CEC released its Position on Special Education Teacher Evaluation, supporting high-quality evaluations that are rigorous, systematic, and developed collaboratively with special education teachers to drive continuous improvement and excellence.
2012 Launched new CEC website, providing special educators with state-of-the-art online access to CEC’s resources and products.
2013 CEC released its Evidence-Based Practice Standards to provide researchers with a better understanding of the effectiveness of a range of practices for learners with disabilities.
2013 Launched the CECommunity to provide the largest online collaboration space for special educators to share and connect with one another.
2013 Created webinars and other resources to help special educators manage the adoption of new Common Core State Standards.
2014 Held Co-Teaching & Collaboration Conference to help special educators form better partnerships with general educators in the general education classroom.
2014 Held the National Legislative Conference to help special educators become advocates and build advocacy capacity for students with exceptionalities.
2014 Presented Co-Teaching Now: Raising Expectations, Improving Outcomes workshop to help special educators enhance the effectiveness of their collaboration and partnerships with general educators.