[abstract] “The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the perceptions of parents of special education students regarding the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and process. A total of 168 parents or guardians of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade middle school special education students completed a survey focusing on their perceptions of the IEP process and their rights as caregivers and custodians of the special needs child. Five research questions were posed in this dissertation study and designed to answer questions regarding the IEP and team meeting, the parents’/guardians' age, socioeconomic level, academic education level, special education status, and racial identity.”
Findings include that, “Racial identity had an influence on parents’/guardians’ perceptions of the Individual Education Plan and special education law” (p.126), with White parents indicating more positive experiences and impressions of the IEP process and program than Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American/American Indian parents reported. Parents’ and guardians’ perceptions of the IEP broadly correlated with their level of education (more education, more positive evaluations of IEP), age (greater age, more positive), and income level (higher income, more positive)."