Main Library

This library contains CADRE resources as well as State, Lead Agency and Parent Center resources. Please note that CADRE makes no endorsement of the State, Lead Agency and Parent Center resources included here, nor of any policies, procedures, processes, or documents specific to any item.

It is easy to understand why conflict between parents and school district members has become a national topic of concern. The financial, emotional, and physical tolls that due process can have on all parties involved are extensive. Because of these limitations, districts are beginning to recognize the need to promote positive relations with parents and to address conflict at the pre-mediation level. Some districts are currently experimenting with trust building changes, as well as alternative dispute resolution practices.

Trauma affects the way people show up in the world, how they interact within social situations. Under pressure in school settings, and in particular IEP meetings, these already strained social interactions become even more burdened. Learning how to recognize reactions/behaviors stemming from trauma and respond to them with understanding requires a tool set that is instrumental in assisting with a family’s recovery. Some examples of tool sets include creating a supportive environment, assisting in building healthful social coping skills, and balancing accountability with understanding. (The...

Participants will be given the results of a Mediation Program that has: • Increased Student Attendance 98% • Increased overall academic performance 99% • Increased Parent involvement 62% The presenters will explain each component of the program in detail with examples of forms and procedures. Participants will also be given an opportunity to ask questions about the pitfalls and barriers associated with setting up a Truancy Mediation program. Participants will also be given an opportunity to ask the lead Mediator and Project Director questions about their personal experiences what worked and...

This presentation will review San Francisco Unified School District’s partnership with the Bar Association of San Francisco, and their well-established ADR program. While Covid-19 initially seemed to be a barrier to access for ADR, it has turned out to be an opportunity to improve accessibility. By bringing ADR opportunities online, and adapting online procedures to continue accommodating less tech savvy stakeholders, SFUSD’s ADR program has the potential to reach more families than it did pre-pandemic. See how we’re building capacity both internally and externally. Video of 5.1 Adapting...

Learn about the two components of San Francisco Unified School District's ADR program, the Collaborative Conference and the Communication Strategies Program. Our Special Education Services Department partnered with The Bar Association of San Francisco to offer a new way to resolve complaints and assist district personnel with difficult conversations. Professional Facilitators offer skilled mediation for the prevention and resolution of complaints between parents and school district personnel in a cooperative forum called the Collaborative Conference. All district staff has access to our...

This presentation will allow participants to interact with each other about the elements of a mediation system that builds state-wide trust in it's system and the mediation process. Participants will discuss with the presenters and one another: How do you know if stakeholders trust your state's ADR system? How do you involve stakeholders? What examples can you share about your system's transparency? In what ways have you experienced optimism in your system? How have stakeholder evaluations changed your system? How does your state try to assure implementation of the agreement? What are the...

This three hour interactive workshop will focus on practical techniques in dealing with high emotion - specifically frustration, anger and fear. We will also explore how people can have such different perspectives of reality and what to do if they hold on to their positions in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. We will discuss four possible reactions people may have to conflicting realities (self-justification, rationalization,the power of irrevocability, and inconsequential decision-making) and learn specific, practical techniques in dealing with each one. This workshop...

This very practical three hour skills building training will be divided into two different areas - both of which will be focused on specific techniques and strategies that help facilitators and mediators create maximizing environments and move parties toward agreement. The first half will focus on a new model of brainstorming developed by the trainer that takes into account new research in neuroscience, culture, and decision-making. The second half of the workshop will focus on techniques in dealing with difficulties in communication (cultural, psychological, situational, and systemic) - i.e...

Presenter: Jim Melamed, CADRE and Mediate.com, Eugene, OR This session will consider various mediators strategies and styles, including problem solving, hypothesis generation and testing (mediator guessing) and doubt and dissonance (heat). We will then discuss the extent to which empowerment is ethical and advised in the context of the mediator’s duty to be impartial. How, if offered, can empowerment be reconciled with the mediator’s duty to be impartial? Empowerment carried to its logical extreme is “maximization.” Implications of a maximizing model and skills for empowerment and...

This session will consider various mediators strategies and styles, including problem solving, hypothesis generation and testing (mediator guessing) and doubt and dissonance (heat). We will then discuss the extent to which empowerment is ethical and advised in the context of the mediator’s duty to be impartial. How, if offered, can empowerment be reconciled with the mediator’s duty to be impartial? Empowerment carried to its logical extreme is “maximization.” Implications of a maximizing model and skills for empowerment and maximization will be reviewed.

Participants in this session will learn about the valuable role that parent advocacy plays in supporting early special education dispute resolution in Utah and the mechanisms in place to support this. A collaborative approach to providing assistance to parents in the IEP process has resulted in several resources available statewide. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) funds several independent parent advocates who provide support and services to families, including a contract with the Utah Parent Center (UPC), the state federally funded Parent Training and Information Center for over 33...

The IDEA provides a continuum of dispute resolution options to empower children with disabilities and their parents with tools to help them resolve disagreements related to the child’s education. In order for States to move past focusing solely on compliance and instead move toward more effective and self-reflective dispute resolution practices, it is necessary for States to ensure that their policies and procedures are fully aligned with the requirements in the IDEA. This workshop will facilitate a self and/or peer review of State’s policies and procedures, while providing an opportunity for...

The IDEA provides a continuum of dispute resolution options to empower children with disabilities and their parents with tools to help them resolve disagreements related to the child’s education. In order for States to move past focusing solely on compliance and instead move toward more effective and self-reflective dispute resolution practices, it is necessary for States to ensure that their policies and procedures are fully aligned with the requirements in the IDEA. This workshop will facilitate a self and/or peer review of State’s policies and procedures, while providing an opportunity for...

This 3 hour interactive presentation explores a variety of strategies found in systems thinking that merit discussion regarding the practicality of incorporating one or more of the strategies into special education mediation. There are occasions in special education where the mediation or resolution of conflict involves a group of interested persons who are jointly engaged in conflict with a school district. In that case, the typical mediation strategies may not be as appropriate or may need enhancement. Conflict within an organization (school system) may be due to disagreement over the scope...

Restorative justice practices are increasingly implemented in school systems as a way to forge stronger relationships, and to address problematic student behavior without resorting to exclusionary discipline. This presentation seeks to review existing school-based practices and further explore ways in which restorative justice practices can be employed in the context of special education disputes. The presentation will include a short synopsis of existing school based restorative justice projects in place throughout the U.S. Two state education agency dispute resolution specialists will share...

In this workshop, participants will learn from real world examples and practice how to re-frame a problem into an opportunity for breakthrough solutions. The power of the question will be explored as a vehicle to create what we want more of versus deficit discourse. You will learn how to structure a discovery process that shifts the conversation to core success factors that elevate the positive core of the whole system as the platform to vision and design the future. This workshop includes AI fundamentals, real world examples and experiential learning (individual, pairs, and small group) for...

A panel of experienced Pennsylvania hearing officers will suggest and discuss a number of techniques that make the IDEA hearing process more efficient. Among the topics that will be covered are the following: standard prehearing directions, electronic exhibits, page limits, time allocations for witness testimony, and the use of virtual/video platforms for due process hearings.

The need for legal representation in securing an appropriate educational program for a child with disabilities has been both long standing and of increasing concern as IDEA’s procedural safeguards became more complex. While it is unclear whether the amount of special education litigation has decreased, and there are differences of opinion about the effectiveness of mediation, there is widespread agreement that formal due process hearings have far too often become procedural battles, more than a forum for determining an appropriate education for a child with a disability. Even then, the...

Presenter: Jim Melamed , CEO, Mediate.com & CADRE, Eugene, OR With high speed Internet connections commonplace, does it now make sense to consider using the Internet's capacities -- text, image, audio and video -- even more purposefully to build collaborative relationships, share information, fashion IEPs and deal with concerns and disputes? This session is for parents, schools and administrators that are interested in reviewing and discussing practical Internet opportunities for gains in participation, empowerment and economy. For more information on this presentation please click here .

With high speed Internet connections commonplace, does it now make sense to consider using the Internet's capacities -- text, image, audio and video -- even more purposefully to build collaborative relationships, share information, fashion IEPs and deal with concerns and disputes? This session is for parents, schools and administrators that are interested in reviewing and discussing practical Internet opportunities for gains in participation, empowerment and economy. For more information on this presentation please click here .

With IDEA 2004, IEP teams have more responsibility to collaborate than ever before. Bringing diverse groups together to hold a student centered meeting continues to be the expectation and challenge facing team members. Instructional leadership, as a goal, is not often achieved as administrators strive to juggle the daily demands that fragment their day.

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