We conducted a review of the literature to investigate interventions designed to increase students' involvement in their individualized education program (IEP) process. Sixteen studies were identified and analyzed in terms of six variables: purpose, participants/setting, design, dependent variables, independent variable, and results. Our findings suggest that students with widely varying disabilities can be actively involved in the IEP process. Our results also indicate that both published curricula designed to teach students skills to enhance their participation prior to IEP meetings and person-centered planning strategies are effective in increasing students' involvement in their IEP meetings, as substantiated through direct observation; scores on measures of self-determination; and/or feedback from participants, parents, and teachers. We discuss the results in terms of implications for practice and research, the need for future studies to assess the impact of student participation on students' daily lives, and the need for institutions of higher education to prepare teachers to include students in the IEP process.

The Council for Exceptional Children conducted an online Web survey to obtain information on the instructional practices and attitudes of educators as they relate to self-determination and student involvement in the individualized education program (IEP) process. We obtained 523 usable responses from teachers, administrators, and related services professionals. Although respondents highly valued both student involvement in IEPs and self-determination skills, only 8% were satisfied with the approach they were using to teach self-determination. Only 34% were satisfied with the level of student involvement in IEP meetings. Implications include the need for longitudinal research and technical assistance, targeting administrators, general educators, and special educators beginning in the elementary grades, to improve the capacity of schools to deliver self-determination instruction.

Much of the research on mentoring has been either case study in nature or conducted with general educators. To understand the impact of mentoring for special educators, a consensus document prescribing guidelines for mentoring was developed and used across 7 national sites with 244 new teachers and 253 mentors. Results from the new teacher and mentor teacher surveys (returned by 60% and 68% of the new teachers and mentors respectively) showed that overall mentoring was considered worthwhile and helpful to the beginning teachers and helped to remediate stressors associated with attrition. The majority of new teachers and mentors were satisfied with being special education teachers and intended to return to the classroom.

Promoting self-determination has become “best practice” in the education of students with disabilities. We synthesize the decade's work in this area as a foundation for considering issues pertaining to promoting self-determination in light of the current educational context. We particularly examine the role of promoting self-determination in light of federal standards-based reform initiatives. We conclude that school reform efforts provide an opportunity to infuse instruction in self-determination into the education programs of all students, including students with disabilities. Many state and local standards include a focus on component elements of self-determined behavior and promoting self-determination enables students to perform more effectively within other content domains. The importance of personnel preparation to enable teachers to promote self-determination is discussed.

Greater student involvement in the Individual Education Program (IEP) and transition process has been advocated by many; however, teachers are unaware of the materials that can assist them in preparing students for this involvement, and many students continue to be left out of their own planning meetings. In this study, researchers implemented student-led IEPs with 43 high school students in a culturally diverse high school in a mid-Atlantic state. Interviews held with 35 (81%) of these students confirmed that they were able to describe the purpose and benefits of an IEP, their disabilities, and their rights. Observation of student participation in IEP meetings for five (12%) students verified that all of them participated throughout their IEP meetings. Observations indicated that the five students participated for 49 (98%) of 50 opportunities for involvement. Interviews with 10 general and special education teachers at that school further documented the value of this student involvement, particularly in increasing student self-confidence and self-advocacy.