Understanding Family Experiences of IEP Meetings and Building Skills to Empower Families at the IEP Meeting

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Research Perspectives on Special Education and Students With Disabilities (Table 12)

Abstract

Since the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is important to a student's progress and educational growth as well as the school's legal obligations, it is imperative that researchers understand parent perceptions of Individualized Education Program meetings (Fish, 2006). Family participation and advocacy are critical at the IEP (Boshoff et al., 2016; Cavendish & Connor, 2018; Duquette et al., 2011; Fish, 2006). This study examined the family's perceptions of the IEP meeting for their child through semi-structured interviews. Families participated in coaching sessions to develop new advocacy skills to apply at their child's IEP. Final results will include a discussion of whether and, if so, how the new skills shifted or changed the IEP meeting and the family's role within the meeting.

Author

• Elizabeth Golini, Portland Public Schools