Literature Articles

This article explores the effectiveness of a CD-ROM-based training program for parents to learn advocacy skills. The test group of participants reported improvement in their skills application, knowledge, and attitudes related to advocacy in parent-teacher communication. "The CD-ROM–based program...

[Excerpt: conclusion] "All families and children experience transitions as they move through the educational system. Transitioning between service delivery systems such as EI and ECSE can be particularly stressful for families and children with disabilities (Lovett & Haring, 2003). The transition...

This resource guide describes approaches to evaluating the mediation of special education conflicts, especially the use of participant questionnaires in evaluating mediation programs. Section 1 establishes the evaluation context and lists 10 action steps in the design and implementation of an...

This article will explore the need for mediators to become more self-aware in order to mediate successfully. We believe that mediators need a certain detached yet compassionate strength of self that can only be derived through self-exploration of our own needs, values, and assumptions. Uncovering...

This report explores the fiscal implications of providing procedural safeguards in special education and is part of the Special Education Expenditure Project (SEEP), a national study utilizing 23 different surveys to collect data at the state, district, and school levels for the 1999-2000 school...

[Abstract] "The purpose of this mixed methods study was to better understand the perspectives of parents with children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders regarding the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, and interventions implemented to help their child meet IEP goals. The...

[abstract] "Today’s schools face a mounting number of court cases resulting from conflicts between parents of children with special needs and educators tasked with meeting those needs (Osborne, 2009). Principals have the enormous responsibility to ensure appropriate services to educate students with...

Article focuses on advice to parents in working with schools to develop and implement IEPs. Author states that resorting to litigation has been increasingly unsuccessful, especially in the 9th Cir. where courts have repeatedly held that parents must exhaust all administrative proceedings and options...

This article presents the findings from a national sample of 510 parents of students with special needs surveyed by telephone regarding their perspectives on special education in public schools. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 17 experts in the field and parents of special needs...

Article is mostly theory; she does recommend mediation in her proposal for avoiding litigation section (pt. IV). Footnote 155 indicates that parties who request mediation have a 75-80% success rate of obtaining a favorable judgment for both parties in Texas, according to Susan Sellars, Program...

This booklet for parents, in question and answer format, provides basic information on the mediation process in the resolution of conflicts between parents and educators concerning special education. The first section is intended to help parents decide if mediation is the appropriate route in their...

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been widely celebrated for providing millions of disabled children with broader educational and life opportunities. This Note seeks to improve the implementation of the IDEA by questioning one of its key assumptions: that parents possess the...

[Abstract] To provide a missing piece to the legal foundation of professional development and practice for the individualized education program (IEP) process, the authors report the results of a comprehensive systematic analysis of court decisions specific to IEP-related procedural violations after...

Adaptation from lectures at the University of Nebraska College of Law, November 19-20, 2003 Recently, a former law student of mine sent me a book titled Adversarial Legalism: The American Way of Law by Robert A. Kagan, Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California at...

This case highlights family and educator conflict about special education placement using the case of Jerry, a student with behavior disorders. Aspiring administrators are invited to consider Jerry’s needs, the desires of his family, the concerns of local and alternative school faculty, the safety...

This article explores connections between positive psychology, an area of recent attention across disciplines, and the attitudes and behaviors that mark collaborative relationships. Excerpts: "Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build theory provides a compelling explanation for the promise of collaboration...

The focus of this study was a parent-teacher collaborative teaming model in which knowledge and practice of designing and implementing supports was based on a dynamic and creative interaction of people committed to the inclusion of a child with disabilities in a general education setting. The...

[Abstract] Although most American Indian students are educated in the public school system, there is limited literature regarding (a) how general and special educators can effectively meet the unique educational needs of these students or (b) what strategies educators can use while working with...

Presents a systems change model for school professionals who work with students who are at-risk or have special needs. Model of communication for use by educators and parents to aid their children. Provides procedures on how to lessen the problems encountered in applying the model such as attitudes...

The author, a parent of a special needs child, advises parents on monitoring and updating IEPs. She recommends four steps: Read it, Flag new developments, Keep your ear to the ground, and Stay on it. She concludes by counseling, "no matter where your team stands on the issues, try to be as...