This searchable database contains bibliographic information for literature (research-based and policy/practice) relating to dispute resolution in special education.
CADRE is interested in identifying additional articles and publications to include in this database. If you are aware of other such resources, please send an email to cadre@directionservice.org with as much information as possible about the resource (e.g., title, author, source, date), and include a copy of the publication or a URL link, if available. Interested in emerging research and knowledge gaps in IDEA dispute resolution?
Filter by Process
Program Measure
An Examination of Group Facilitator Challenges and Problem-Solving Techniques During IEP Team Meetings
[abstract] Special education professionals serve as facilitators of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team meetings. As special educators serve on many IEP teams during the course of an academic year, and as the member composition for each team varies, facilitators are confronted with a unique...Learn more
Applying systems‐based thinking to build better IEP relationships: a case for relational coordination
This paper explores methods by which the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development process can be improved through the use of systems‐based thinking, specifically through the use of Gittell’s (2016) Relational Coordination Model. IEP development meetings have been described as meaningless...Learn more
Beyond Involvement and Engagement: The Role of the Family in School–Community Partnerships
Research indicates that partnerships between schools and neighborhood communities support student learning, improve schools, and strengthen families and neighborhoods. These partnerships expand the traditional educational mission of the school to include health and social services for children and...Learn more
Beyond the Dotted Line: Empowering Parents From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families to Participate
Parent participation in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process is a critical factor in improving the effectiveness of children’s special education programs and services. However, many families, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds, are...Learn more
Can We Talk? Using Community–Based Participatory Action Research to Build Family and School Partnerships with Families of Color
Research has demonstrated persistent, disproportionally negative educational outcomes for students of color, causing national concern in this area. School personnel increasingly understand the need to engage with parents as educational partners, but parents of color may feel marginalized in these...Learn more
Challenges Providing Services to K-12 English Learners and Students with Disabilities during COVID-19
Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, almost all school districts rapidly shifted to distance learning in spring of the 2019-2020 school year. This shift laid bare both the logistical and instructional challenges of distance learning, particularly for English learners and...Learn more
COVID-19 Considerations for State Educations Agencies and IDEA Due Process Hearing Officers
This outline identifies some of the common issues that have come up during the COVID-19 outbreak and offers, where apropriate, some hearing process considerations for state educational agencies (SEA) and hearing officers.Learn more
Culture in Inclusive Schools: Parental Perspectives on Trusting Family-Professional Partnerships
This qualitative study improves understanding of parent perspectives about the factors that facilitate family-professional partnerships in schools recognized for inclusive practices. Five themes emerged from 11 focus groups consisting of parents of students with and without disabilities and with...Learn more
Due Process Hearings Under The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: Justice Delayed...
Abstract: The authors report the average duration of fully adjudicated hearings was much longer than the regulatory timeline, and only 15% of the standard decisions for the six-year period were completed within the 75-day timeline. They note the 75-day benchmark serves as a guideline goal, with the...Learn more
Engaging Students and Parents in Transition-Focused Individualized Education Programs
*/ [Abstract] The reauthorizations of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act emphasize that students and parents are to be considered equal partners in the individualized education program (IEP) process. This article addresses how to move from compliance with the law to facilitating...Learn more
Enhancing Collaborative Leadership Among Parents of Children with Disabilities: New Directions for Policy and Practice
Parent involvement and leadership have evolved over time and carry different meanings within various educational contexts in the United States. In special education, parent involvement includes the roles that parents of children with disabilities play in the development of their children’s...Learn more
Exhaustion of Section 504 and ADA Claims Under the IDEA: Resolving The Confusion
Abstract: The IDEA’s exhaustion provision is subject to confusion among courts as well as the parties. Its proper judicial compromise that this provision represents in reversing the Smith v. Robinson exclusivity ruling. The result of the confusion is making the adjudicative process under federal...Learn more
Father Involvement in Early Intervention: Exploring the Gap Between Service Providers’ Perceptions and Practices
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine early intervention (EI) service providers’ perceptions of the roles played by fathers in services, as well as their perceptions of the barriers that limit fathers from being engaged in the services provided for families of children with...Learn more
Frequency Trends in the State Complaint Procedures Under the IDEA
Introduction: One of the most active areas of litigation in K-12 education is in special education, an area of litigation that has risen steadily since the 1980s. While the primary focus for analyzing litigation trends has been court cases, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)...Learn more
Impartial Hearings under the IDEA: Legal Issues and Answers
[introduction] This Question and Answer document is specific to impartial hearing officers (IHOs) and the impartial hearings that they conduct under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It does not cover the IHO’s remedial authority, which is the subject of separate comprehensive...Learn more
Impartial Hearings Under the IDEA: Updated Legal Issues and Answers
This updated question-and-answer document is specific to impartial hearing officers (IHOs) and the hearings that they conduct under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The coverage does not extend to the alternate third-party dispute decisional mechanism under the IDEA, the...Learn more
Improving DR Practices for Diverse Families
To provide relief for families who disagree with their child’s educational program, the IDEA provides three types of dispute resolution: mediation, written state complaints, and due process hearings. While these options support constructive conflict engagement, many families find these processes...Learn more
Is Appealing A Hearing Officer's Decision Likely To Result In a Major Outcome Change In The Final Court Decision
[Abstract] Adjudications under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) continue to be an active area of education litigation at both the hearing officer (HO) and court levels. One of the many questions for IDEA litigants, in light of the considerable costs and time of this “ponderous...Learn more
Learning From Parents of Children With Disabilities
*/ [Abstract] The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to examine the impact that interactions with parents of children with disabilities might have on 10 graduate students (6 men and 4 women) between the ages of 22 and 32 years (M = 26.7 years, SD = 3.5) enrolled in a 3-week intensive music...Learn more
Measuring Accessibility of Written Communication for Parents of Students With Disabilities: Reviewing 30 Years of Readability Research
Effective communication is essential for successful school–family partnerships. Written communication is most common due to the efficiency of written documents, but challenges include assuring the information disseminated to parents is accessible based on readability, clarity, complexity, and...Learn more
Outcome Trends in State Complaint Procedures Decisions Under the IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act1 (IDEA) provides two alternative administrative, decisional dispute resolution mechanisms: due process complaints/hearing (DPH) and the state complaint system. The state complaint process has garnered far less attention than that devoted to DPH. To...Learn more
Parent–Teacher Conflict Related to Student Abilities: The Impact on Students and the Family–School Partnership
Family–school partnerships have a positive impact on both students and schools, yet they remain challenging to establish and maintain, particularly in the presence of parent–teacher conflict. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of parents, teachers, and students...Learn more
Policy-to-Practice—A Portraiture Study of Special Education Implementations to Improve Student Outcomes through Mediation
Abstract: Improving student outcomes for students with disabilities is the primary goal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA charges school districts to collaborate closely with parents to design and execute an individualized education program (IEP) that allows...Learn more