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##  Involving Parents in the IEP Process. ERIC Digest E611.                      

Parents can play a number of important roles in their relationship              with their child's school-organization members, care providers,                 political advocates, and facilitators of professional decisions.                This digest examines the special roles of parents of children with              disabilities in planning for the education of their children and                discusses how educators can work effectively with parents to create             meaningful individualized education programs (IEPs). 
The parents'             role as committee members and educational decision makers in                    creating IEPs was established in 1975 by the Education for All                  Handicapped Children Act, now known as Individuals with Disabilities            Education Act (IDEA). Even though parent involvement is a defining              feature of IDEA, Congress, as part of the 1997 reauthorization of               IDEA, believed that parental involvement needed strengthening. As a             result, parents' rights and responsibilities are again in the                   forefront as a necessary ingredient for appropriate and                         individualized educational programming, mandating that schools                  provide an opportunity for active parental participation in                     decisions about the education of children. 
The involvement of                 parents in the IEP process has many benefits: 
* Increase the                  teacher's understanding of the child's environment 
* Add to                   parents' knowledge of the child's educational setting 
* Improve               communication between parents and the school 
* Increase the                   school's understanding of the child 
* Increase the likelihood                 that, with improved understanding between home and school, mutually             agreed upon educational goals will be attained. UNDERSTANDING                 BARRIERS TO PARENT PARTICIPATIONWhen parents are not active in              the IEP process, educators may sometimes misinterpret their lack of             involvement. They may believe that parents are satisfied with the               decisions being made for their child and do not see the need for                further participation, are apathetic about their involvement in the             IEP process, or do not have enough information about their child's              functioning and the nature of the decisions to be made to allow them            to participate. Yet numerous barriers may preclude a parent's active            participation in the IEP process: 
Communication problems and                  educational jargon. 
Communication problems and lack of                        understanding of the school system may result from the intricate and            sometimes arcane language used in the IEP. Law-related elements, the            meaning of statistical analyses, and terminology about placement and            programming options (e.g., resource room, mainstreaming, inclusion,             self-contained) may confuse or discourage a parent. 
Lack of                   understanding of the school system, lack of knowledge of how to help            their child, or feelings of inferiority. 
Sometimes parents feel               ill equipped to provide meaningful educational information about                their child that can help professionals develop special education               programming. The professional staff's lack of understanding of the              student's culture or language may lead parents to feel inferior or              inhibited. For example, some parents are from places in the world               where they were not allowed to question or disagree with authority              figures, and so they may be reticent to assert their opinions with              professionals. 
Logistical problems. 
Parents' participation might            be hindered by lack of transportation or child-care, or scheduling              difficulties related to work or other                                           responsibilities. FACILITATING MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATIONAn                 obvious barrier to parental participation is a language difference.             As much as possible, all correspondence with parents should be in               their native language-not only to avoid confusion, but also to                  establish trust in the IEP process. At times an interpreter may                 facilitate more effective communication. 
Prior to the meeting,                educators should solicit information from the parents about their               preferences and needs regarding the conference, including a                     convenient time and place. 
School staff and parents can decide if             the student should attend the conference, with parental preferences             respected. 
It would also be helpful to determine if the family                would like to invite an advocate to the meeting. A family                       advocate (e.g., clergy member, friend, counselor, university                    faculty, legal advisor, nurse/doctor) can assist parents in asking              questions, understanding programming and placement options, or                  identifying family-specific issues. An advocate can assist a family             in building a child-centered, long-lasting partnership with district            and school personnel. When viewed as a promoter and supporter of the            child and family, an advocate becomes a valued invited guest and not            an adversary. 
Parents must be formally notified in writing about              the purpose of the meeting, the time and location, and participants.            Including participants' positions (principal or designee, special               education teacher, general education teacher, etc.) as well as their            names can help parents understand who they are and why they will be             attending the meeting. 
At the outset of the meeting, educators                should: 
* greet the family members and advocate, 
* provide a                list of all participants, 
* introduce all in attendance with a                brief explanation about their role in the conference, 
* state the             purpose of the meeting, 
* make positive observations about the                child, 
* emphasize that the parents possess helpful information               about the child and that they are partners in this process, 
*                 provide enough time to complete deliberations, or offer to                      reschedule the meeting to complete the agenda. Include time to                  ensure that family members understand their legal rights. THE                 THREE PHASES OF THE IEP CONFERENCEReviewing the evaluation and              performance level. 
Avoid educational jargon when reviewing the                results of the formal evaluation. Parents should receive a summary              of the findings that emphasize the child's strengths, gifts,                    abilities, and needs. Diagnostic personnel should explain the tests             and provide parents with a copy of the results. Be sure that parents            understand the findings of the evaluation, and give them the                    opportunity to ask questions. Provide a chance for them to express              their views of the child's abilities and needs, especially from the             home point of view. Parents need to feel that the evaluation is an              accurate reflection of their child. 
Developing instructional goals            and objectives. 
When developing the student's instructional goals             and objectives, it is crucial that parents, advocates, and students             share their expectations about the student's future participation in            school, the home, and the community. Educational and vocational                 goals and objectives consistent with the expectations of the student            and family can then be developed and prioritized with the student's             needs in mind. At the same time, parents, advocates, and other                  family members can indicate which objectives they can help teach or             reinforce at home. Procedures for evaluating achievement of goals               and objectives should be discussed and schedules set. 
Determining             placement and related services. 
Parents, advocates, and other                 family members can provide invaluable information to help determine             placement options and related services for the student. The                     placement option selected (regular education classroom, resource                room, self-contained class, separate building, home or hospital)                must allow the student to participate in typical school experiences             with typical peers as much as possible. Since parents may have                  concerns about the integration of their child in a school setting,              including questions of safety, attitudes of regular education                   teachers towards special education students, program quality,                   transportation, and potential for failure, these concerns should be             addressed in the planning for the child. 
Accommodations in the                classroom and in testing must be listed, and when applicable, plans             for family services, behavioral interventions, and meeting                      transition needs must be developed. Necessary related services, such            as speech pathology and audiology or psychological services, must be            identified. At this point it is necessary to determine dates for                initiating services and their anticipated duration and to identify              individuals who will be responsible for delivering the                          services. 
At the end of the conference, clarify and summarize                 major decisions and the responsibilities of participants, including             family members and advocates. Identify strategies to ensure that                future communications with parents are ongoing and collegial in                 order to maximize the benefits of the program for the student.                  Thanking the parents, family members, and advocate is paramount in              emphasizing that their active participation is a valued and                     essential part of the decision-making process. WHAT TO DO WHEN                PEOPLE DISAGREETeam members should recognize that there is                  always a chance for disagreement. If this happens, everyone involved            in the IEP process should keep in mind that the student's interests             are the main objective, and regardless of the outcome, school                   personnel and parents will still have to work together. 
The best,             fastest, and least costly way to solve a conflict is through                    informal problem solving. If team members are unable to resolve the             conflict, an outside person, whose selection is agreed upon by all              parties, can act as an independent facilitator to bring clarity to              the problem. This should be someone who can listen attentively and              whom everyone trusts. All involved in the process should keep open              minds and again, try to do what is best for the student. 
Some                 situations demand more formal means of resolving differences. IDEA              is clear about the legal rights of state and local education                    agencies and parents as well as specific procedures that must be                followed when IEP team members disagree. Mediation is a voluntary               and confidential process that brings conflicting parties together to            obtain a written agreement. If an agreement cannot be reached in                mediation with a trained mediator, the more formal  "due process                hearing" is in order. Due process hearings are long, tedious                    procedures that can be extremely costly for everyone involved.  They            start with a signed complaint and are administered by a qualified               and impartial person. The decision made as the result of a due                  process hearing is final unless school personnel or parents file an             appeal to the state board of education. 
In summary, supporting the            active participation of parents and advocates in the IEP process                will focus the IEP on the intent of IDEA: the development of a                  comprehensive program, with goals and objectives that are relevant              and acceptable to parents, regular teachers, and special education              teachers. Active participation assumes that the parental role as                educational decision maker is one that is supported by the school               system and will lead to closer communication between home and                   school. RESOURCESHarry, B., Kalyanpur, M., & Day, M. (1999).              Building cultural reciprocity with families. Baltimore, MD: Paul H.             Brookes Publishing Company. 
Dunst, C., Hamby, D. Tivette, C.,                 Raab, M. & Bruder, M. (2000). Everyday family and community life and            children's naturally occurring learning opportunities. Journal of               Early Intervention, 23(3), 151-164. 
Parent Advocacy Coalition for             Educational Rights (PACER) Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd.,                       Minneapolis, MN 55437 (952-838-9000), www.pacer.org 
Federation for            Children with Mental Health Needs, 1101 King Street, Alexandria, VA             22314 (703-684-7710), www.ffcmh.org 
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ERIC Digests are in               the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated, but            please acknowledge your source. This digest was prepared with                   funding from the Office of Educational Research and                             Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education (ED) under Contract            No. ED-99-CO-0026. The opinions expressed in this publication do not            necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or ED.                 **Title:** Involving Parents in the IEP Process. ERIC Digest E611.                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Council for            Exceptional Children, 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA                       22201-5709. Tel: 800-328-0272 (Toll Free); Fax: 703-620-2521;                   e-mail: [email protected]. For full text: http://www.ericec.org.           **Descriptors:**  Decision Making,  Disabilities, Elementary Secondary Education,                 Individualized Education Programs, Meetings,  Parent Participation,             Parent School Relationship, Student Educational Objectives                  **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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