This article presents some conflict-related issues that school leaders encounter in resolving disagreements and misunderstandings between parents of students with disabilities and school representatives. Two examples of special education service disagreements are employed to illustrate how a trained and impartial education liaison representative…

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), there are formal dispute resolution options for parents and school staff to pursue when they cannot reach consensus on educational programming for a student. Use of the required dispute resolution offerings continues to negatively impact the collaboration necessary between parents and…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities (Ohio Operating Standards). IDEA…

Individualized Education Program (IEP) Facilitation is an optional process, not required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), that state educational agencies (SEA) or school districts may provide to parents and schools. The goal of a Facilitated IEP meeting is to develop an IEP that is supported by team members and benefits…

More than 40 years after passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), some special education teacher preparation programs offer limited coursework on parent involvement, advocacy, or home-school collaboration. For pre-service special education teachers and/or novice special education teachers working with students with…

Special education, for students ages 3 to 21, is guided by federal and state requirements. The federal requirements are referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA protects the rights of students with disabilities and the rights of their parents. The state requirements are referred to as the Ohio Operating Standards…

For the inclusive education indicated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to occur at the high school level, teachers must be prepared to teach students with multiple ability levels and learning profiles in one classroom. Since the passage of IDEA, large numbers of students with mild to severe learning needs have been placed…