The Effectiveness of Interventions to Increase Parent Involvement in Special Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Validating a Model of Motivational Factors Influencing Involvement for Parents of Transition-Age Youth With Disabilities

“…In response to a call for more rigorous investigations of factors such as parent involvement, affecting postschool outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities (Test et al, 2009), the MPI provides preliminary evidence for a unique, multidimensional tool for school professionals and researchers to utilize when assessing involvement for parents of transition-age youth with disabilities. Given the evidence indicating the importance of parent involvement for positive postschool outcomes (Papay & Bambara, 2014; Test et al, 2009; Wagner et al, 2014), having reliable, valid, and accessible measures of parent involvement in school, home, and future planning for parents of transition-age youth with disabilities is critical to (a) assessing the effectiveness of parent involvement interventions and programs aimed at increasing involvement (Goldman & Burke, 2016; Rowe & Test, 2010), (b) identifying features of programs and teacher behaviors that are associated with increased parent involvement (Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey, & Sandler, 2007), and (c) identifying important and malleable MPI that are hypothesized to be related to parent involvement (Green et al, 2007).…”

“…Given the strong evidence base for the importance of parent involvement in promoting positive postschool outcomes for students with disabilities, it is troubling that there is a lack of evidence-based interventions for increasing involvement (Goldman & Burke, 2016; Hirano & Rowe, 2016), especially given that an overall decrease in parent involvement as students age has been documented for parents of all students (Spera, 2005), including students with disabilities (Newman, 2005). There are only a handful of studies aimed at increasing school-based involvement for parents of children and youth with disabilities (Goldman & Burke, 2016) and equally few studies aimed specifically at increasing parent involvement in planning and preparing for the transition from high school to adulthood (e.g., Boone, 1992; Francis, Gross, Turnbull, & Parent-Johnson, 2013; Rowe & Test, 2010; Young, Morgan, Callow-Heusser, & Lindstrom, 2014). Several of the studies that do exist have a common limitation in measuring parent involvement outcomes that may account for the mixed results obtained from the interventions: They rely on a narrowly defined form of involvement, such as participation in an IEP meeting (Goldman & Burke, 2016) or contact with an adult service agency (Young et al, 2014).…”

“…There are only a handful of studies aimed at increasing school-based involvement for parents of children and youth with disabilities (Goldman & Burke, 2016) and equally few studies aimed specifically at increasing parent involvement in planning and preparing for the transition from high school to adulthood (e.g., Boone, 1992; Francis, Gross, Turnbull, & Parent-Johnson, 2013; Rowe & Test, 2010; Young, Morgan, Callow-Heusser, & Lindstrom, 2014). Several of the studies that do exist have a common limitation in measuring parent involvement outcomes that may account for the mixed results obtained from the interventions: They rely on a narrowly defined form of involvement, such as participation in an IEP meeting (Goldman & Burke, 2016) or contact with an adult service agency (Young et al, 2014). It is possible that increased knowledge and skills affect parent involvement in ways not captured by the direct observation ratings or stakeholder report.…”

Parent Leadership and Civic Engagement: Suggestions for the Next Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Reauthorization

“…The project's purpose was to educate parents of children with disabilities to conduct legislative advocacy for the next IDEA reauthorization. Extant research indicated a need for parent advocacy programs with a broad focus (e.g., civic engagement) and a geographically, racially, and culturally diverse sample of parents (Goldman & Burke, 2017). The civic engagement program was conducted in collaboration with a Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) in each of the four states with whom we had prior professional relationships (Illinois, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire).…”

A Review of Web-Based Special Education Resources Provided to Parents by State Departments of Education

“…Parent engagement in special education has been described as both “key” and “critical” for student success (Burke, 2012; Goldman & Burke, 2017; Stoner et al, 2005). According to Spann et al (2003), “parent participation leads to a host of positive outcomes for children with special needs” (p. 228).…”