Abstract
This study explored the collaborative relationship between public school educators and parents/guardians of students with disabilities. Research indicates many Teams encounter issues around group dynamics when meeting to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student, including differing interpretations of laws, guidelines, and expectations within the special education process. These issues can be reduced through the use of effective collaboration, increased professional development for Team members, relationship building between families and educators, and a student-centered approach to the process. This multiple single-case study with three IEP Teams examined the experiences of an IEP Team as the members collaborated to create an IEP for a student with disabilities in a public, integrated, early childhood setting. Individual interviews with Team members, observations, and document review was used to gather data. After a thorough analysis of the data, two themes (misperception of collaboration and strategies for promoting effective collaboration) and six sub-themes (school-based Team members' collaboration, parents' role, impediments to collaboration, preparation, communication, and clarity of roles) emerged. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations for practice and future research were described, including: improving parent training, using parent-friendly language, holding multiple meetings, empowering Team members, clarity of roles, and repeating the study with IEP Teams for older students.
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