From Compliance to Engagement: Staff Perceptions of Working With Spanish-Speaking Families in the IEP Process

• In Event: Advocacy and Agency: Centering Families in Special and Inclusive Education

Abstract

Earlier studies have suggested that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families are often not authentically engaged in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process; interactions tend to be fraught with miscommunication, misunderstanding, and lack of genuine consent. To date, only a handful of studies considering teacher perceptions of parent involvement have examined how school personnel view Latinx family involvement during the IEP process. This qualitative study utilized interaction theory to explore how school personnel prepare, conduct and perceive Spanish-speaking families within the IEP process in a midsize district East of Los Angeles. These findings suggest that team members had a distinct perception of family participation, which was rooted in their level of involvement with the IEP process.

Authors

• Rosalinda Larios, California State University - Fullerton

• Brande M Otis, University of California - Los Angeles