Literature Articles
This brief discusses survey results about districts’ perceptions of the ease with which they were able to provide services for students with disabilities and to comply with federal law governing the education of students with disab ilities.
Do schools have a heightened standard of care to assure the safety of students and others from those with behavior disorders? "This article explores issues of legal liability for school personnel where students with disabilities are injured in school settings or cause injuries to employees and other...
Abstract As part of its structure of cooperative federalism, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act delegates to the states implementation, within broad specifications, of administrative adjudication systems. In light of the centrality of these systems of dispute resolution and the limited...
Disputes between parents of children with disabilities and school officials regarding the special education of children with disabilities are reaching courts with greater frequency. Although a vast majority of disputes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (hereinafter "the IDEA")...
The IDEA provides the fundamental framework for state-level resolution of special education disputes, while also allowing states to add to (but not subtract from) the regulations for state and local education agencies. In this article Zirkel presents how each state has supplemented the federal...
This report is a brief analysis of the results of a survey of State Directors of Special Education on their state mediation systems. It was conducted as a follow-up to previous Project FORUM documents on this topic (Ahearn, 1997, Ahearn, 1994, Schrag, 1996). Responses to selected items of the survey...
[abstract] Since the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there has been a growing focus on improving the quality of programs for children with disabilities and measuring the results/outcomes of those programs. Across the country, IDEA Part C Programs for...
Seventy interviews were conducted with parents and school district officials involved in 14 of the 17 cases scheduled to be mediated by Pennsylvania Special Education Mediation Services in November and December 2000. Pre- and post mediation interviews were conducted with both parent and school...
This brochure offers specific communication skills that may be helpful to parents as they develop and maintain partnerships with their child's school.
[excerpt] "...[T]his article [presents] culturally responsive practices that demonstrate how teachers can (a) increase their knowledge of ASD in the context of students’ diverse languages and cultures; (b) partner with families to share understanding of ASD symptomatology and assist diverse families...
This article examines the origins of parent-school conflict, identifies common errors that exacerbate difficulties, provides strategies for resolving conflicts and improving relationships, and proposes an alternate course of action if these approaches fail. Empathetic listening, trust building, and...
[abstract] "The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed across rural, urban, and suburban environments when special education teachers reported perceived levels of student and parent involvement and participation during IEP meetings. The investigators surveyed special education...
We conducted a review of the literature to investigate interventions designed to increase students' involvement in their individualized education program (IEP) process. Sixteen studies were identified and analyzed in terms of six variables: purpose, participants/setting, design, dependent variables...
The author discusses 2002 litigation over the rights of students with disabilities. He examines cases involving entitlement to services, procedural safeguards, dispute resolution, placement, discipline, remedies for school boards' failure to provide a free appropriate public education, and other...
This article offers strategies and suggestions to assist special education professionals in their attempts to support and empower families of children with disabilities.
[abstract] This study draws from four years of qualitative case study data to describe how programmatic and district factors interacted to affect reform sustainability in two school districts—one urban and the other suburban. These districts have been implementing a reform developed by the National...
This paper examines the incentives and disincentives for disputants in waste management conflicts to participate in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as negotiation, facilitation and mediation. Twenty-four cases in which ADR was applied to a waste management conflict in Ontario or...
The study investigates educators' perceptions of Restorative Justice Practices (RJPs) in inclusive classrooms, focusing on students with dis/Abilities, within the frameworks of Social Justice, Critical Race Theory, and Disability Studies (DisCrit). It aims to address a gap in the literature on...
This study randomly assigned 200 parents to mediation (facilitated by master's-level social workers) or to pretrial conferences (guided by judges) to examine the effects of the dispute resolution methods on the attitudes of parents in child dependency disputes. The study also examined theories from...
[abstract] School leaders are familiar with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, but they also need to be legally literate about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This need is particularly pressing in the wake of significant recent changes in Section 504 as a result of the Americans...
This article outlines five key points for educators to create effective relationships with families, providing both discussion and illustrations for each: 1. Be positive, proactive, and solution oriented. 2. Respect families' roles and cultural backgrounds in their children's lives. 3. Communicate...
Describes development of guidelines for ADA mediations. Guidelines have increased participation of people w/disabilities in mediations. The mediator training includes a disability awareness component, an explanation of ADA mediation practice issues, and four-hour courses in disability law. Mentions...
[Abstract from publisher] "It seems like common sense that children do better when parents are actively involved in their schooling. But how well does the evidence stack up? The Broken Compass puts this question to the test in the most thorough scientific investigation to date of how parents across...
Alternative Individualized Education Program (IEP) dispute resolution models should respond to limitations of current options. An experimental IEP dispute resolution program provides parents and schools with an evidence-supported neutral perspective on what is needed for free and appropriate...