When a Parent of a Student With a Learning Disability Is Also an Educator in the Same School District: A Heuristic Case Study

Abstract

Advocating for the educational rights of a child with a disability can be intimidating for parents, even for those who are well versed in the language and protocols of the special education system. Securing the rights of a historically marginalized group has indeed been a challenging task and required much effort on the part of parents, educators, lawyers, and policy makers. Even so, parents of children with disabilities have continued to encounter barriers in becoming equal members in the educational planning process (Burke & Sandman, 2015; Epstein, 2001; Pomerantz, Moorman, & Litwack, 2007) notwithstanding their expanded role as set forth within the most recent reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 2004, P.L. 108-446). Parents are typically not skilled in the terminology, rules, and settings with respect to special education, and as a result express feelings of discontent in their efforts to secure positive school outcomes for their children (Fish, 2006; Lake & Billingsley, 2000; Stoner et al., 2005). Despite the obstacles related to understanding the nature of school systems, parents continue to perceive advocacy for their children as integral in achieving positive school outcomes (Harry & Klingner, 2006; Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Trainor, 2010). Educational planning for more than 6 million students with disabilities has become part of the landscape in American public schools because the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) placed an emphasis on learning outcomes for students with disabilities (Collier, Keefe, & Hirrel, 2015; Kaufman & Blewett, 2012). Despite raised expectations for all students, students with disabilities experience sizable achievement gaps when compared with peers without disabilities. Recent data from the Building a Grad Nation Data Brief: Overview of 2013-14 High School Graduation Rates (Civic Enterprises and Everyone Graduates Center, 2016) suggest a significant gap exists between the two groups in the rates at which they graduate from high school. In the 2013-2014 school year, only 63.1% of students with disabilities earned a high school diploma, far short of the overall national graduation rate of 82.3%. Counterpart to the graduation rate is the gap in performance on academic assessments as well. Scores on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests indicate 8% of students with disabilities scored at 690114L DQXXX10.

Lived Experience of Dis/Abled Parents Advocating for Their Children Within the Individualized Education Program Process

“…One possible rationale for the differences, consistent with Haley et al (2018), is that a significant number of those dis/abled respondents employed in the field may have worked in or near the Districts providing services to their child or children. Dis/abled Fig.…”

Introducing Preservice Teachers to Family-Centered Practices: A Scoping Review

“…Parents need to advocate for the services their children need but may feel that asking for too much or too often will make them "pushy parents" (Beauvais, 2017;Bibby et al, 2017). Haley, Allsopp, and Hoppey (2018) found that even when a parent was a teacher at their child's school, there were barriers to their inclusion as full team members in their child's educational decision-making team. This parent cited a "learning curve to special education" (p. 26) along with loyalty and job security issues if she complained or did not do what the school thought was right.…”

“…The assumption is that using family-centered practices will lead to increased parental involvement and that teachers who have been trained in family-centered practices will better establish family-school partnerships and include parents in children's education. However, family-centered practices may not be the norm in public PreK-12 schools (Allen & White-Smith, 2018; Cavendish & Connor, 2018; Haley et al, 2018;Lechuga-Peña & Brisson, 2018;Pemberton & Miller, 2015;Valle, 2018).…”

Parent Empowerment: Respecting Their Voices

“…or with others to devise ways to reach specific goals for their child with a disability (Haley, Allsopp, & Hoppey, 2018;Harnett, Tierney, & Guerin, 2009). Empowerment involves special educators and parents in the creation of individualized, resource-oriented solutions centered on a child's needs.…”

“…This relationship in the special education environment focuses on parent and child competencies versus deficits, strengths versus weaknesses, capabilities versus risks, and hope versus hopelessness. In short, empowerment is the facilitation of participation focused on attainable goals and parents’ ability to work alone or with others to devise ways to reach specific goals for their child with a disability (Haley, Allsopp, & Hoppey, 2018; Harnett, Tierney, & Guerin, 2009). Empowerment involves special educators and parents in the creation of individualized, resource-oriented solutions centered on a child’s needs.…”