The primary focus in this study was to capture the experiences of parents who have participated in the IEP process. Specifically, the research expounded on how parental experiences during the IEP process impacted or informed education plans for their children and informed education leaders seeking to improve the IEP process experience. This study…

This qualitative study was designed to research the narrative experiences of parents who participated in the public special education Individual Education Plan (IEP) process and decided to opt-out of public school after having difficult experiences. The IEP process provides a unique and bounded collection of interactions. This study examined how…

Decision-making is a universal process that occurs constantly in life. Parent participation in educational decision-making is recognized as important by special education law, by special education and school psychology literature (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001; IDEIA, 2004;). Partnership in decision-making is especially important for parents of…

This text was written as an outgrowth of 6 years' work with children aged 3-5 in the Child Development Center at Western Oregon State College, Monmouth, Oregon. The children attending this program included typically developing children as well as children with disabilities. A primary purpose of this book is to share the experiences and learnings…

U.S. education policy acknowledges the troubling differential rates of special education identification and placement for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse by requiring states to review annually student identification data from all local education agencies to identify and address disproportionate representation. Yet, little is…

Through naturalistic observational procedures, the study examined the dynamics of individualized education program (IEP) conferences involving parents of handicapped elementary grade students. Participants present, the nature and frequency of topics discussed, and the length of conferences were considered. (Author/SBH)