Literature Articles

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?

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"I Didn't Sign Up For This!": Considering The Impact of Due Process On Teachers

When conflict between schools and parents escalate to due process, there are repercussions. Teachers, whose work and testimony are generally vital elements in determining hearing decisions, are largely overlooked in the research. This paper introduces the impact that participating in due process...Learn more

A Study of Factors that Contribute to Conflicts in Special Education between Parents and Schools: A Validation of Lake and Billingsley's Theory

[Abstract] This quantitative research conducted in Southern California validated Lake and Billingsley’s (2000) Grounded Theory regarding factors causing conflicts in special education. This study found that discrepant views of a child or child’s needs, knowledge, service delivery, constraints,...Learn more

A Tale of Two Districts Fostering the Home-School Partnership: Conflict Prevention and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practices in Special Education

Abstract: "Conflict between parents of children with disabilities and school districts has become a national topic of concern. Parents and districts are continuing to rely on due process hearings to resolve conflict. This practice is emotionally and financially exhausting, and leaves no room for...Learn more

Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Do Special Education Administrators Prevent and Resolve Conflict with Families?

[Abstract] Conflict between parents of children with disabilities and school district members has been an ongoing issue for decades. Special education administrators are often designated to address conflict with the intent to find an amicable resolution. Otherwise, conflict can lead to due process...Learn more

Adjudication under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Explicitly Plentiful Rights but Inequitably Paltry Remedies

This article proposes an invigoration in the exercise of the broad equitable authority of hearing officers under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Providing a higher priority on, and an affirmative presumption for, remedying violations of the Act is in the interest of all parties, extending...Learn more

Advocating for Students With Disabilities at the School Level

[Abstract] The article discusses school and classroom level advocacy for special needs students, and provides advice for special education teachers on how to effectively advocate for their students to receive needed services and interventions. An overview of professional advocacy standards and the...Learn more

Alternative dispute resolution in special education: A view from the field.

Mediation was required by the Individuals With Disabilities Education (IDEA) 1997, and resolution sessions were added to the IDEA 2004. This study examines the perceptions of 260 special education directors in Georgia, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin to determine their perceptions...Learn more

Alternative dispute resolution under the Individuals with Disability Educational Act: A case study of early intervention mediation (Iowa).

All states are required to offer mediation services for the voluntary settlement of special education disputes after a due process hearing has been requested as a result of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA). However, Iowa is one of only a few states that...Learn more

Alternative dispute resolution; An effective strategy for reducing special education due process hearings in California.

Law has protected the educational right of students with handicapping conditions and their parents throughout the nation since 1975. All states have a process in place where parents or schools districts can request a due process hearing at the state level. There is substantial evidence that due...Learn more

Analysis of Special Education Mediations in Texas, 2006-08

The purpose of this study was to explore variables which might influence the frequency of Texas special education mediations used for dispute resolution. Variables such as district size, location, economic level, and the State Accountability Rating were investigated and evaluated. In order to...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

Avoiding special education litigation in rural school districts.

The major purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its legislative predecessor: has shifted in the past 25 years from simply providing access to educational services to an emphasis on providing meaningful, measurable, and accountable programs to students with...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

Co-Teaching: An Illustration of the Complexity of Collaboration in Special Education

Abstract: Although collaboration among service providers has been a hallmark of special education almost since its inception, co-teaching, the sharing of instruction by a general education teacher and a special education teacher or another specialist in a general education class that includes...Learn more

COVID-19 and Students with Disabilities: A Snapshot of Legal Activity to Date

The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of public schools in March 2020 and the return from remote to inperson instruction for varying periods depending on the state and locality, would appear to be a fertile field for legal activity under the Individuals with Disabilities Education...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

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

Fathers’ Experiences With the Special Education System: The Overlooked Voice

Research about parent experiences with the special education system is largely dominated from mothers’ perspectives. This article will present a qualitative interview study of the overlooked voice: fathers of children with disabilities. Twenty fathers were interviewed about their experiences...Learn more

From the beginning: What educators and parents of children with special needs do to resolve differences.

How educators and parents of children with special needs resolve differences at the early stages of a dispute is vital to our understanding of how to avoid an escalation of conflict and irreparable damage to this important relationship. This study examines why some disputes between educators and...Learn more

Grievance resolution in special education: A descriptive evaluation of the issues relating to mediation.

The purpose of this study was to identify the issues that arise in schools in relation to grievance in special education and to discover whether mediation may be a useful option in the resolution of grievances. The perspectives of parents of students with disabilities and primary principals were...Learn more

Implementing Restorative Practices: A Case Study of How One Urban High School Approached Alternatives to Punitive Discipline Practices

[abstract] "Over the past 20 years, a serious trend has developed that disconnects too many students from school due to suspensions. Suspensions continue to widen the achievement gap within the educational system. Consistently, African American males are suspended at a much higher rate than the...Learn more

Is mediation a fair way to resolve special education disputes? First empirical findings.

Examines whether special ed. mediations are successful and looks at parents’ and schools’ perceptions of fairness, satisfaction with results, implementation of agreements, and looks at SES of parents, characteristics of children, wealth of districts, and presence of advocates. Authors collected...Learn more

It’s Not the “What,” It’s the “How”: Four Key Behaviors for Authentic Leadership in Early Intervention

This article discusses four key behaviors that are intrinsic to natural, “authentic” leadership, including: 1) exercising influence to reach shared goals, 2) engaging in continuous learning, 3) building and nurturing relationships, and 4) modeling behaviors desired of others. The behaviors...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

Literature Articles

Type

Filter by Process

Sphere

Program Measure

Intended Audience

Specific Emphasis

Format Access

"I Didn't Sign Up For This!": Considering The Impact of Due Process On Teachers

A Study of Factors that Contribute to Conflicts in Special Education between Parents and Schools: A Validation of Lake and Billingsley's Theory

A Tale of Two Districts Fostering the Home-School Partnership: Conflict Prevention and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practices in Special Education

Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Do Special Education Administrators Prevent and Resolve Conflict with Families?

Adjudication under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Explicitly Plentiful Rights but Inequitably Paltry Remedies

Advocating for Students With Disabilities at the School Level

Alternative dispute resolution in special education: A view from the field.

Alternative dispute resolution under the Individuals with Disability Educational Act: A case study of early intervention mediation (Iowa).

Alternative dispute resolution; An effective strategy for reducing special education due process hearings in California.

Analysis of Special Education Mediations in Texas, 2006-08

Applying systems‐based thinking to build better IEP relationships: a case for relational coordination

Avoiding special education litigation in rural school districts.

Can We Talk? Using Community–Based Participatory Action Research to Build Family and School Partnerships with Families of Color

Challenges Providing Services to K-12 English Learners and Students with Disabilities during COVID-19

Co-Teaching: An Illustration of the Complexity of Collaboration in Special Education

COVID-19 and Students with Disabilities: A Snapshot of Legal Activity to Date

Culture in Inclusive Schools: Parental Perspectives on Trusting Family-Professional Partnerships

Father Involvement in Early Intervention: Exploring the Gap Between Service Providers’ Perceptions and Practices

Fathers’ Experiences With the Special Education System: The Overlooked Voice

From the beginning: What educators and parents of children with special needs do to resolve differences.

Grievance resolution in special education: A descriptive evaluation of the issues relating to mediation.

Implementing Restorative Practices: A Case Study of How One Urban High School Approached Alternatives to Punitive Discipline Practices

Is mediation a fair way to resolve special education disputes? First empirical findings.

It’s Not the “What,” It’s the “How”: Four Key Behaviors for Authentic Leadership in Early Intervention

Learning From Parents of Children With Disabilities

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