The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is the State Lead Agency for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C program for Washington State. Within DCFY, the Part C programmatic home is the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program. During Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2017, the ESIT program held contracts…

The Department Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is a new cabinet level agency focused on the well-being of children. The vision is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community." (House Bill 1661) DCYF serves as the…

The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is the State Lead Agency for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C program for Washington State. Within DCFY, the Part C programmatic home is the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program. During Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2016, the ESIT program held contracts…

The originators of special education law anticipated disputes and provided due process hearings as a means to settle the disputes. However, due process proved to be unfair, costly (financially and emotionally), and destructive to school-family relationships. Years later, lawmakers offered mandated mediation along with resolution meetings in…

Individual Education Program (IEP) teams are composed of diverse individuals, each bringing a unique set of experiences, knowledge, and skills to the table. Given this, it is not uncommon for team members to have different views on the special education and related services needs of the student whose plan is being developed. When divergent views…

Bearing in mind the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, Louisiana's Steering Committee projected performance targets through the year 2014 for the important areas of: (1) Graduation with a Diploma; (2) Dropout Rate; (3) Placement, ages 6-21 and ages 3-5; (4) Achievement Performance Levels, and (5) Discipline. Annual gains were…

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), signed on December 3, 2004, required that, not later than one year after the date of enactment of the reauthorized IDEA, each state is required to have in place a performance plan evaluating the state's implementation of Part B and describing how the state will improve such…

Mediation was required by the Individuals With Disabilities Education (IDEA) 1997, and resolution sessions were added to the IDEA 2004. This study examines the perceptions of 260 special education directors in Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin to determine their perceptions regarding alternative dispute resolutions in which they…

The report examines the use by two state governments of mediation to resolve disputes between schools and parents of handicapped children. Officials, parents, educators, and legal personnel from California and Massachusetts were interviewed, mediations were observed, mediation agreements examined, and statistics reviewed. A typical case…

The regulations outline procedures and policies for resolving disputes in special education in the U.S. Department of Defense Dependents schools. Processes involved in conferences, mediation, and due process hearings concerning issues of identification, eligibility, individualized education programs, or programing are outlined. At each of the…

This briefing paper examines the role of attorneys, and to a lesser extent advocates, in special education mediation. It attempts to "mediate" the debate by adopting the structure of mediation. It begins with a background chapter offering a historical basis for conflict resolution in special education. It then examines the positions held by both…

The paper addresses practical issues involved for building principals in mediating to determine the most "free appropriate public education" for handicapped children and avoiding due process hearings. Mediation is viewed as an ongoing process, and the harmful effects of legal battles over a child's placement or evaluation are noted. The paper…

This article describes a literature search process employed to identify research in Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) and special education, organizes some initial search results, briefly summarizes them, and raises important questions for the purpose of generating a future research agenda. The authors hope that this examination of literature…

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 evaluation plan. Section 2 addresses issues for…

The use of mediation to resolve conflicts in educational settings is examined especially in relation to handicapped students. Four sample case studies illustrating the informal and formal use of the technique are detailed. Tables illustrate trends in due process administrative decisions in Georgia and mediator training requirements and…