Each conference has then been evaluated through a series of conversations so that each individual's leadership gets reviewed. Strengths and successes receive validation and notes are kept to improve the next effort. Parents as Trainers Parents are trainers of their peers. In this stage, the parents become teachers and facilitators so that their peers can learn and practice those skills developed in the previous three levels. Since nothing is learned so well as when a person has to teach it himself or herself, IDRA views this stage as the crowning event of parent leadership.
Parents conduct surveys of parent needs and focus group interviews.
They also conduct training on leadership and the specific topics they have learned about through their experiences and the training. At each of the three conferences already held, parents from the core group served as emcees, presenters in workshops and leaders of feedback sessions at the close of each conference. The parents have developed many workshops and are training other parents to be leaders. The third and fourth stages are viewed as leadership roles, with the parent trainer teaching other parents to be leaders. In our Mobilization for Equity project, as we have concentrated on the decision maker and trainer stages, we have most focused on peer support.