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.
CADRE’s Exemplar Initiative: Identifying, Profiling and Showcasing Resources from High-Performing State Special Education and Early Intervention Dispute Resolution Systems State System Profiles Between Fall 2008 and Summer 2010, CADRE undertook a process to identify state special education and early intervention dispute resolution systems that are particularly effective and to characterize those systems and their components in ways that would be useful to other states that are considering improvement activities. Four state systems - Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - were identified...
This document was updated in 2019. This pamphlet describes, from an administrators perspective, the benefits of participating in mediation as a means to solve special education disputes between parents and educators. It dispels common concerns and also provides helpful tips to those considering mediation as a dispute resolution option. This document was originally published in September 2001, and was updated in 2019. Interested in IEP Facilitation? Check out CADRE's Considering IEP Facilitation: A School Administrator's Perspective .
DC - Ombudsman Quarter 1 and 2 Report School Year 2017-18
DE - 20 Questions You Should Answer Before Creating an IEP Facilitation System
Download DE-8 20Questions-1.pdf (166.89 KB)
DE-8 20QuestionsYouShouldAnswerBeforeCreatingFIEPSystem.pdf
Introduction The introduction to this sourcebook stresses the need for schools, communities, and families to work together to educate children to be productive and caring 21 st century citizens. American families are described as more diverse than ever before, spanning cultures, languages, levels of education, and socioeconomic and demographic differences. Family involvement is defined in an expansive way to include and recognize the value of a broad spectrum of activities that involve family members and/or guardians helping children to learn, both at home and at school. Barriers that limit...
An educational advocate, also known as a parent advocate, child advocate, student advocate, or independent advocate, assists parents of students with disabilities in navigating the complex world of special education. For a fee, professional advocates provide information, guidance and support throughout the IEP process to encourage decisions that meet the needs of the student. This guide, developed by CADRE, will assist parents in: Asking interview questions that will help get an understanding of an advocate’s approach to providing support Connecting with parent centers in their state...
Engaging Parents in Productive Partnerships is an easy-to-read presentation of suggestions on how educators and service providers can effectively collaborate with parents including specific recommendations for IEP meetings. Tell us what you think of the document, please click here to take a short survey. (link is external) To order copies of this publication, please fill out this order form.
CADRE has profiled four exemplary state special education dispute resolution systems: Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Each of the state's profiles is available individually and all four profiles are included in a single combined document. In all four of these states, the Early Intervention (Part C) dispute resolution system is managed by the same entity that manages the Part B system. Oklahoma has adopted Part B timelines for their Part C system. These profiles present an overview of each state's system, focusing on some common aspects of state system performance and emphasizing...
FACT - Special Education Toolkit (2016)
FACT - State Complaint Toolkit
This document was published in July 2002. More information on IDEA 2004.
These conflict management guidelines are designed to help district staff and parents effectively address conflict in special education. The creation of this document was part of a Portland Public Schools Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) local capacity grant funded by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
HI - 2009-10 SEAC Due Process Report
IA - Academic Journal Article on System Design
Following OSEP’s release of a Q&A on IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution in July 2013, CADRE was asked to create a set of companion resources for parents and families. In response, CADRE developed six parent guides and a process comparison chart with the support of parent leaders from across the country. These guides explain facilitation , mediation , written state complaints , due process complaints , resolution meetings , and expedited due process complaints. You can access these parent guides by clicking on each process below or in the side navigation. Most of the guides are available in...
A resource packet designed to guide implementation of the mediation regulations under IDEA ‘97. Included are a self-assessment and checklist for state departments of education, a memo from OSEP Director Kenneth Warlick, and a question and answer document on the mediation requirements under Part B of the IDEA. This document was published in January 2001.
This publication was developed to better understand issues related to when parents or caregivers are having difficulty working together, especially during IEP team meetings. The document includes both preventative and responsive strategies and approaches from a variety of sources, including research on the effects of parenting a child with a disability on parent and family relationships, literature on conflict resolution practices, and data collected through surveys and interviews. Children’s best interests are served when all members of the IEP team cooperate to design the IEP. Properly...
Video of Webinar: Introducing the Part C Dispute Resolution Family Guides About the Webinar: This webinar provides parent centers and families with ideas on how to use these new, family-friendly guides on mediation, due process hearings, and written State complaints designed with the Part C families in mind. This webinar also describes the collaborative process that CADRE used to develop the guides. The new family-friendly guides on special education dispute resolution are now available for download from the CADRE website, in addition to the new Quick Guide to Special Education Dispute...
There are a number of reasons for making mediation more accessible and responsive to families from culturally, economically and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This document is intended to provide educators with guidance that may help them understand why some families may not participate in mediation, and strategies for increasing the participation of families from diverse backgrounds. Most importantly, Keys to Access offers practical recommendations that school personnel, early intervention service providers, mediation providers, and families can use to develop the knowledge, positive...
This article suggests that the adoption of a maximizing mediation approach by the mediator is permissible and advised. There are no barriers to mediators moving beyond the world of barely sufficient processes and barely sufficient results to stimulate maximized processes and maximized results.