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January 31, 2012

Parents/Guardians Satisfied Regarding IEP

In a report of more than 10,000+ parents/guardians who were present at their child’s Individualized Educational Program (IEP) meetings, 70% stated their participation was “about right.” These findings will be documented in the Journal of Disability Policy Studies.  This report is the first one to focus on parents/guardians IEP meeting involvement cross country.

“Finding ways to address obstacles to parents’ involvement at school is particularly important in light of the benefits associated with it,” wrote the study authors from SRI International, an independent research firm. “Research demonstrates that greater involvement of parents of students with disabilities is associated with better student outcomes of many kinds, including better school engagement, academic performance, social adjustment and independence.”

However, many circumstances also made parents/guardians disappointed with the IEP meeting process.  Parents/guardians of students with behavioral challenges and anti-social skills were more likely to express disappointment.  Race and financial needs also appeared to be variables contributing to IEP meeting unhappiness.

These findings were based upon parents/guardians who had students ages 11-19 in modified education.  The numbers were gathered off of two previous Department of Education reports.  The fact that many parents/guardians are satisfied with IEP meetings is welcoming news in the modified education field, since IEP meetings can be an arguable process.


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