Ethical Practices and Parental Participation in Rural Special Education

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Trussell ◽  
Helen Hammond ◽  
Lawrence Ingalls
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Parental Participation ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Legal Mandates ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
Education Process

The field of special education has a historical precedent for establishing ethical practices for professionals. These practices have evolved through legal mandates, scientific inquiry, professional research, professional organizations, and consumer concerns and input. A pivotal component of special education ethics focuses on the involvement of parents and/or family members as equal partners within the special education process. The purpose of this article is to examine the ethics of parental involvement in special education from a primarily rural special education perspective. This article reviews current research to date and discusses implications of the disconnect between the ethical responsibility of assuring equal parent participation and research findings. This article provides specific recommendations for future directions in promoting parental involvement in rural special education contexts.

The Role of the School Nurse in the Special Education Process: Part 2: Eligibility Determination and the Individualized Education Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Adair Shannon ◽  
Catherine Falusi Yonkaitis
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Professional School ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Eligibility Determination ◽  
Individual Evaluation ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Education Process

This is the second of two articles outlining the professional school nurse’s role in the special education process for students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act of 2004 mandates the special education process: identification, full and individual evaluation, eligibility determination, and development of the individual education program (IEP), including special education placement. Part 1 focused on the importance of the school nurse’s role in student identification, response to intervention, and the full and individual evaluation. Part 2 highlights the school nurse’s vital and unique contribution to the subsequent special education steps of eligibility determination, IEP development, and special education services placement and minutes.

Students With Disabilities From Migrant Farmworker Families: Parent Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-70
Author(s):  
Georgina Rivera-Singletary ◽  
Ann Cranston-Gingras
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
English Learners ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Federal Policies ◽  
Migrant Families ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
Education Process

Children of migrant farmworkers change schools frequently and must navigate through a maze of confusing and often inconsistent academic policies. Migrant students are often identified as English learners and some have disabilities, which results in additional academic and federal policies that families must contend with as they seek to support their children’s educational endeavors. Further affecting the school experience is the difficulty parents often have in working with school personnel who are unable to support the cultural and linguistic needs of migrant families. This study sought to explore the parents’ understanding of their children’s disability and the special education process and to learn about how migrancy affects those experiences specifically when they attempt to obtain special education services. Through an interpretive perspective, four migrant parents of children with disabilities were interviewed using a semistructured interview to collect data related to their perception of the special education process. The findings of the study are discussed, and recommendations for policy and practice are provided.

scholarly journals Triennial Evaluations: Divorcing the Means from the Ends

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Frederick J. Brigham ◽  
Christopher M. Claude ◽  
John William McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Individual Education Plans ◽  
Special Education Services ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
Education Services ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Local Education Agencies ◽  
Education Process

Confusion among stakeholders regarding some aspects of the special education process—chiefly the triennial reevaluation—leads to misapplication of rules across districts and states based on interpretations of informal lore-based reasoning. Local education agencies (LEA) can determine that no additional data are needed and advise parents to forego the evaluation. Too, often, families who fear losing special education services for their child will acquiesce and decline the evaluation. Although this may be appropriate for some students, for others it can be a highly questionable and counterproductive decision. We illustrated the ways that avoiding triennial evaluations could hamper the ability of the LEA to adequately foster the student’s independence, monitor the student’s disability condition, and set and reach the student’s Individual Education Plans (IEP) goals. We argued that the major issue in decisions regarding triennial evaluations is centered on determining if a student is still eligible for special education services. This places too much attention on test-based eligibility and too little on educational needs, transition needs, and the instructional program. Triennial reevaluations should pivot from an “eligibility” focus to a “needs” focus, allowing schools and parents to gain a fresh understanding of the individual receiving the services. Failure to do so raises questions about the fidelity of assessment within the structure of special education service provision. Finally, we suggested that the motives underlying the practices for triennial evaluations illustrated here call the pragmatic acceptability of “full inclusion” into question.

Resettlement Education Case Managers’ Roles Supporting Refugee Families With Children With Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 002246692110188
Author(s):  
Nicole B. Adams ◽  
Rosa Milagros Santos
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Case Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Literature ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
Education Process

Refugees have been resettling in the United States for decades, but there has been little attention in the special education literature to this population. The existing literature notes numerous systemic barriers refugee families and professionals encounter but has not investigated the roles of professionals in refugee resettlement agencies in supporting families who have children with disabilities. In this study, we used semi-structured interviews to explore resettlement education case managers’ (ECMs) roles and experiences assisting refugee families to access special education. Our findings revealed that ECMs provided intensive support to newly resettled families by educating them on the special education process, connecting them with supports, and sharing information about disability characteristics. Implications for research and practice are also provided.

scholarly journals Empowerment for Education of Students with Special Education Needs

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (94) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audronė Dumčienė ◽  
Saulius Šukys
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Parent Involvement ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Children's Education ◽  
Special Education Needs ◽  
Children’S Education ◽  
Education Needs ◽  
Education Of Students ◽  
Education Process

Background. Teachers who are in favour of education of students with special needs (SEN) together with their peers (inclusive education) appreciate the role of parents in the education process of students. However, Čiuladienė and Paužienė (2012) indicate that the majority of Lithuanian general education schools are not sufficiently prepared for inclusive education.Methods. The sample consisted of 170 parents of students with SEN in grades 5–10. The scale of Parental Involvement in School was used to establish parental involvement in children’s education process. Results. The parent involvement levels in children’s education process were established using three five-point scales: Parent Involvement with Teacher/School – 1.60  points; Teacher Involvement with Parent – 2.22 points; Parent Involvement with Child’s Schoolwork – 3.03 points.More educated parents compared to parents with lower education indicated that communicating with teachers they really felt equal partners (χ 2  = 20.37, p < .001).Parents admit that better collaboration between parents and teachers can more encourage open and honest communication  between  them  (63.5%). A  little  less  than  three-quarters  of  parents  often  or  very  often  received information from teachers about their children’s learning and behaviour. Parents who claimed to have sufficient knowledge of educating their children sometimes indicated that they needed teachers and other professionals to help them with their children’s development problems (χ 2  = 14.11, p < .001).Conclusions. Most parents were involved in the education of pupils with SEN at home but they were little involved in their children’s educational process at school and other school activities.Keywords: student, special education needs, parent, teacher.

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