This study discussed past research, litigation, and legislation that pertained to the topics of parental involvement in special education. Past barriers were discussed that kept parents from interacting and suggestions were provided for future help in overcoming these barriers. In particular, parental perceptions of their roles as communicators and decision makers in the special education process were examined in terms of ethnicity and child's educational level. Very few items found differences between the perceptions of Hispanic parents when compared to the perceptions of white parents; and some items found as children advance academically, there is less agreement among parents that they were able to be good communicators and good decision makers. Still, this research study showed that, overall, parents in Texas perceive that schools are allowing them to at least adequately fulfill these roles. Thus, the results of this study are much more positive than past research, which indicated that parents felt left out of their children's education. This more positive perception could be a result of legislation passed to ensure parental roles in educational decision making; it could be a result of actions taken by the state of Texas to monitor the enactment of this legislation; or it could be because schools are taking a more active role in providing best practice services to students and parents in terms of communication and decision-making opportunities; or it could be because the parents who answered the survey were particularly compliant or complacent.
Despite federal legislation mandating parental participation in the design and delivery of special education services for children with disabilities, parents report feeling marginalized by educators as they are not treated as equal members of the educational teams of their children. As a result, a child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a common source of conflict in special education. This study sought to determine factors which may shape parental perceptions of their interactions with educators during the IEP meeting including the disability classification, academic placement, grade level, and size of school district of the child. Through the use of a survey instrument (n = 164), the study found that parents of students with the disability classification of autism and students in more restrictive academic environments enjoyed better relations with educators than did peers. Relations with educators were found to degrade over time as students progressed from elementary to secondary schools. The size of the school district provided mixed findings regarding relations with educators, as parents of students with disabilities in larger school districts enjoyed better relationships with special education teachers and paraprofessional staff. By treating parents as equals during IEP meetings, education professionals minimize feelings of frustration that can lead to conflict. When adversarial relationships are avoided, conditions are created that can lead to greater student achievement and improved outcomes. (ProQuest abstract).
With over 6 million children receiving some form of special education in the United States, and federal legislation mandating that all disabled students be provided with a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE), school districts are facing the daunting task of providing individualized services for a growing percentage of special education students. Unfortunately, it is well established in the research literature that special needs students who "belong" to racial and ethnic minority groups and/or are from low Socioeconomic Status classes have traditionally been over-represented in special education. Disturbingly, not only are minorities over-represented in special education classification, they are also under-funded. While research contends that the actual level and quality of service received by members of the above groups tend to be sub-standard to those of their white and/or higher income counterparts, parent perceptions regarding this may or may not align with this fact. This leaves the potential for a gap to exist between what objective measurements and observations uncover and what the parent holds to be true. This also raises the question of ethics in equity of information access for those with limited cultural or social capital. This qualitative study examines the perceptions parents from various demographic groups have regarding the special education services their children receive. Interviews with parents of special needs children who are from the Philadelphia and surrounding areas serve as the primary data source. Additionally, information gathered while assuming the role of observer participant in a local support group serve as a support source of data for my study. A variety of sources were used to gather data on parent perceptions for this study. The parents of twelve special needs children were interviewed for this study. Each parent was asked a series of questions regarding their experiences with their child(ren)'s special education including, but not limited to, identification of the disability; ease/difficulty of obtaining services; design of education program offering; initiation of services; IEP implementation; and goal attainment. Several characteristics of the participants were focused on to identify commonalities among participants that determine likenesses in perceptions of various aspects of interest relating to special education services. Participation/observation in a support group for parents of special needs children, in addition to the literature distributed at that session also served as data sources for this study and that led to the study findings. Survey quantitative data, and information from limited IEP review, were also contributors to the pool of data that ultimately led to the study findings and recommendations. The conduction of a focus group was planned and attempted on more than one occasion during the study period, however, the recruitment of an acceptable number of willing participants proved to be an insurmountable challenge. One major area of interest in the study included determining if the participants believed there were differences in the special education services received by different students and if so, why. Interestingly, all of the respondents answered yes and identified eleven "major contributors" to the differences. The four considered most significant by a majority of the participants include Parental Persistence, Time Availability of the parents, the Connectedness/Access to Information maintained by the parents, and belonging to a high SES. After studying the content of all of the interviews, noticeable likenesses in the characterizations of the mindset of the participants regarding special education emerged. This commonality was so strong that it led me to give this phenomenon or theoretical concept a name - Framing Mindset. Each participant, as a result of her experiences over an extended period of time with the "universe of special education" develops a certain "casting point" where the parent's attitude becomes "set" and future decisions regarding special education programming for that child follow similar thought patterns. Thus, the parent has adopted one of three "mindsets" that serve as the "framework" from which all of their educational choices are built. Finally the study looked at the question: "How does a special needs parent's current stage of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance) relating to having a son or daughter with a long term, often lifelong disability, influence the perception of the variables (quality, appropriateness, timeliness, comprehensiveness) comprising his or her child's educational programming?" According to the responses given by the study participants, the majority of the respondents had a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services; a small number of respondents did not have a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services; and for less than one quarter of the respondents it was not possible to determine if there was a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services. The results of this study have implications for advocacy/parent education, professional support group/facilitator training, and education policy. First, the results of this study, tell us that a large majority of the participants believe that access to information is key to determining the composition of the special education program received by their child. Knowing this, the role of the advocate can become much more critical to both newly diagnosed parents and parents who are not well connected. Second, the literature, interview participants, and support group participants affirm that seeking out and attending support groups is often one of the first things the parent of a newly diagnosed disabled child does to both obtain information and relieve stress. Unfortunately, the participants also indicated their frustrations with the formats and content of the groups - enough so that most did not return. Therefore, it is recommended to be the most helpful to parents of special needs children through the support group venue, training for the potential facilitator and a quick survey to potential attendees to assess their interest, preferred format, and needs should occur first. Finally, the implications of information from the study for education policy relate to the both the implementation of special education law and the oversight of the implementation of special education law. All of the interviewees asserted that there are differences in special education services among special needs. As a result of this remarkable finding, I recommend that changes to education policy include a provision for local oversight or "watchdogging" of the process of special education service provision; tougher sanctions be developed for districts and private schools who fail to provide appropriate services to a disabled child or are found guilty of providing inequitable services; and that parent surveys about their home district be distributed annually with the district and private school's scorecard partially based on the survey scores.
The disproportional representation of Black students in special education has been an issue of concern for many years in the United States. A review of the literature illustrates the struggle of African American children in the American educational system: from the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation to the re-segregation of these same children into special day classrooms. What the literature fails to report is how parental involvement might help educators address the problem of overrepresentation and the perceptions of the families who are affected by their children being placed in special educational settings. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the experiences and perceptions of African American parents who have male children receiving special education services in schools. Critical race theory was utilized as a framework to examine and challenge the manner in which race and racism impacts practices and procedures by school personnel dealing with African American parents. As such, qualitative data were gathered and analyzed to bring to light African American parents' experiences with the special education system servicing their male children. Many of the parents in this study stated that they had experienced obstacles that prevented them from meaningful participation in the educational planning for their children as members of the IEP process. The perceived obstacles that limited their parental involvement in special education were the following: communication between parents and the IEP team members; knowledge of special education laws; parental rights and roles in the process; African American academic success and placement; and school staff understanding of African American students culture and the need for diversity. The findings of this study yield important implications for policy and practice. These changes require a paradigm shift towards inclusive educational practices that support all students in the general education setting and a renewed commitment to improving parental involvement among African American parents at both the site and district levels. Educational leaders can support this shift through providing professional development and trainings to parents and site administrators on the legal guidelines established by Public Law 94-142 (IDEA). Future research include studies which could provide the field with more information as to why inequities in special education continue to plague African American males and their families.
Note: This is the loose-leaf version of Families, Professionals, and Exceptionality and does not include access to the Pearson eText. To order the Pearson eText packaged with the loose-leaf version, use ISBN 0133833682. From the best-known authors in the field of family and professional collaboration–here is a practical look at how teachers and families can empower, collaborate, and advocate for children with special needs. In this book, the authors enter the lives and tell the stories of families they consider “forces for the disability cause,” and “exemplars of all that is good, decent, generous, steadfast, and optimistic.” In Families, Professionals, and Exceptionality readers see how lasting partnerships can be formed between members of families and professionals in special and general education. The authors, widely recognized authorities in the field of family and professional collaboration, present strong depictions of family systems theory, the history and current status of policy, and the principles of partnership and their application by teachers and other professionals. Included is invaluable practical advice for educators–and true ways to apply these principles on the job.
The school choice option of homeschooling has grown rapidly over the past two decades. An estimated 1.77 million K-12 students in the United States (3.4% of the total school-age population) were being homeschooled during the 2011-2012 school year. The purpose of this study was to gather data from homeschooling parents that would contribute to the understanding of parental involvement with school choice and of parental involvement with educational organizations. More specifically, this study determined the proportion of families in the sample (N = 333) who had children enrolled in public or private school before making the decision to homeschool and the proportion who reported homeschooling a child with special educational needs (SEN). Additionally, parents' perceptions about their participation in homeschool support groups and factors important to their decision to homeschool were explored. This quantitative study used descriptive and inferential methodologies. School choice history (whether or not the family had a child in public or private school before making the decision to homeschool) and special educational needs (SEN) status (whether or not the family reported homeschooling a child with SEN) were used as independent variables. Data analysis consisted of an examination of correlations between the independent variables and parents' perceptions of (a) homeschool support group participation, (b) opportunities for parental involvement with the homeschool support group, and (c) factors important to parents' decision to homeschool. The results of the study indicated that 50.8% of participating families had a child who attended public or private school before the family decided to homeschool. In the group of families who had a child who attended public or private before the family decided to homeschool, 60.6% of the families indicated they were currently homeschooling a child with SEN. Overall, the special educational needs of a child was rated as the least important factor in parents' decision to homeschool. However, for families who were currently homeschooling a child with SEN, this factor was significantly more important. The desire to be more involved with their children's education was rated as the most important factor in the decision to homeschool.
The purpose of this study is to examine parent and early intervention professional perceptions and experiences of the legislative requirement of the parent participation and education component of Early Childhood Special Education. The study focuses on examination of reports of parent and early intervention professional experiences and analysis of child outcome data of children receiving intervention among three different service delivery models of Early Childhood Special Education. Data are collected from 24 parent and early intervention professionals, each experiencing one of three service delivery models, and record review of developmental outcomes for language, social, and motor skills for 120 children enrolled in early childhood special education programs and services. The study uses a mixed methods approach, whereby qualitative methods are used to examine perceptions and identification of components of parent participation and education for special education preschoolers. Quantitative measures are used to determine which service delivery model(s) are predictive of positive child and family outcomes. Findings reveal that five common themes emerge from participant reported experiences that are ascribed to positive family and child outcomes: parent-teacher relationships, home visits, parent to parent support, parent training, and inclusion of family members in the intervention plan. Examination of the impact of service delivery model on child outcome using ANOVAs and post hoc comparisons reveals statistically significant positive social skill outcomes for children receiving services or service combined with programs. Implications for informing practice within Early Childhood Special Education are discussed.
