Families who have children with delays or disabilities are often expected to become advocates for their children. Despite this inherent expectation, there is limited research available focused on advocacy during the early years (birth to three). The purpose of this study was to use qualitative inquiry, specifically semi-structured interviews, to…

Research demonstrates a connection between parent perspectives and children's decisions to pursue careers in STEM (e.g. Albritton et al., 2020; Fouad et al., 2016). However, there is limited research on parents' impact on CS education advocacy. Through one-on-one parent interviews, this study found that parents engage in educational advocacy, but…

A considerable body of sociological literature has examined the role that education plays in the ongoing reproduction of class-based inequalities. However, there is a relative lack of research that has focused on the reproduction of inequalities linked to the combined influences of disability and social class. Based on a qualitative study of 19…

While children's rights are often framed in a global context, ultimately they are upheld, defended, and realized at the local community level. Despite the United States being the only country that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child in the U.S. has the right to a public education as recognized in state…

Individualized education plans (IEPs) are to serve as a guideline for the supports and services a student with a disability needs to have access to the general education curriculum. State departments of education monitor the compliance of these programs within the public schools. This study found the materials that state departments use to inform…

While parent involvement has been shown to have positive academic outcomes for their children, for structural changes to be made, parents have to go from being active to taking on a more activist role, thus "stoking the flame" of the norm. Parent advocacy and empowerment groups play a vital role in the transformation of parent activists,…

The benefit of parental involvement (PI) cannot be underestimated, most specifically, the PI that operates on mutual trust and respect, and balancing of power between homes and schools. It is particularly beneficial to students who are learning English as a second language because their parents can partner with educators to close the achievement…

Since the conception of education in the United States, schools have been the battlegrounds for equal opportunities among African American students. In an effort to improve educational options and achievement for such students, charter schools have emerged as a popular solution for African American parents. Findings from this study shed light on…

Using original qualitative and quantitative data, "Schools Under Siege" confronts the many ways, direct and indirect, in which US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies and practices disrupt education. The book explores not only the impact of these policies on the six-million-plus K-12 students in the US at risk for being…

This book presents an in-depth discussion of how human disability and parental advocacy have been constructed in American society, including recommendations for a more authentically inclusive vision of parental advocacy. The authors provide a cultural-historical view of the conflation of racism, classism, and ableism that has left a deeply…

Since 2011 DC School Reform Now (DCSRN) has worked to help families in the city's most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods find success with school choice and enroll in high-quality schools. DCSRN's parent advocates focus on understanding the families they serve and the barriers they must overcome--an approach that requires flexible,…

Although the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates parent participation in their children's education programs, the implementation of IDEA results in parent effort beyond participation, specifically, an expectation of advocacy. To date, research on the advocacy expectation is mixed, with some parents perceiving…

In the past, parents of children with disabilities have spearheaded several policies for individuals with disabilities. However, little is known about their experiences with legislators. To address this gap, focus groups and surveys about legislative advocacy were conducted with 127 parents of individuals with disabilities across four states. The…

This case study analyzes the impact that parental advocacy has on the academic success of students with a disability attending an urban elementary school and the factors that enable or inhibit parental advocacy. The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (2004) (IDEA) established the legal guidelines for the protection of students with…

Throughout the past decade, scholars have argued that the persistent achievement gap between Black male students and their White peers is a result of unequal and inadequate educational opportunities instead of inherent differences in their capability or character. School counselors can help support Black males by using equity-focused…