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.
Thank you for registering for the Professional Development for IDEA Hearing Officers! You can view the event’s schedule here .
This presentation will discuss the relative merits of the IDEA's current due process structure and some proposals to reform the structure.This presentation will focus on both mandated and voluntary dispute resolution mechanisms. Particular areas to highlight are (a) the use of IEP facilitation as an "upstream" dispute resolution mechanism; (b) the efficacy of the mandated resolution session as an early dispute resolution mechanism; (c) the relative merits of a one-tier v. two-tier due process structures; and (d) proposals to add new dispute resolution mechanisms such as voluntary, binding...
This session will include overviews of powerful, forward-looking dispute-resolution initiatives and partnerships unfolding in Pennsylvania, including a new Parent Engagement Project, collaboration with the community-based HUNE (Hispanos Unidos para Niños Excepcionales), hearing officer settlement conferences, and “virtual hearings”—the use of videoconference technology in conducting due process hearings. As a state with a high volume of complaints, Pennsylvania continually seeks ways to promote engagement and efficiency in dispute resolution. Each initiative/partnership has presented unique...
Psychological safety is the foundation of all effective teams, groups and individual relationships. It is defined as a shared belief that a group or situation is safe for interpersonal risk taking. When present people feel they can make mistakes, try on new ideas and be supported to be the best they can be. Research has supported its value and found it to be "the most important" component of engagement. People are more creative, better at problem solving and can effectively address different perspectives. In this workshop, the presenters will delve into psychological safety by reviewing the...
This presentation will explore the applicability of special education mediation to the Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) process. A Manifestation Determination Review occurs when a student with a disability is suspended in order to determine whether the student’s disability, or the failure of the school district to provide the services required by the student’s IEP or 504 plan, was the direct cause of the actions for which the student was suspended. Under the IDEA and state laws, a student with an IEP or a 504 plan who is removed from her current educational program for more than ten...
Due process hearings are financially and emotionally straining, yet very few studies have investigated previous hearings for the use of proactive planning. This session will present a descriptive analysis of 575 hearings from 41 States during the 2005-2006 year. Participants will explore trends with petitioner, disability, dispute, and outcome data. Following this discussion, data from a qualitative study about facilitated IEPs will also be described and discussed as an alternative to due process hearings. Participants will walk away with a good understanding of the special education climate...
Presenters: Brenda Brown , Special Ed Parent, Washington, DC Kelly Evans , Executive Director, State Enforcement and Investigations, DCPS Hearing Office, Washington, DC Sheldon Krantz , Piper Rudnick LLP, Washington, DC Marshall Peter , Director, CADRE, Eugene, OR Deborah Spitz , DC Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Washington, DC Joseph Tulman , Professor of Law, U.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law, Washington, DC Ellen Wayne , Assistant Professor, University of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD District of Columbia Public Schools have exceptionally high use of due process hearings when...
District of Columbia Public Schools have exceptionally high use of due process hearings when compared to other education agencies in the nation. Recognizing the resultant enormous costs and administrative challenges, a number of private individuals and entities conducted an extensive analysis of the underlying issues and developed an action plan to begin to shift conflict resolution to less adversarial processes. This session will trace the evolution of this effort and identify future directions.
When we understand what is happening in the brain during conflict, and how empathy helps to regulate both parties within a conflict, we can see the blocks to mutual understanding with more clarity. This helps us to strategize early conflict management with an eye to our ultimate goal: an outcome with maximum response to the needs of both child and education provider. In this session we will explore a more precise understanding of empathy and begin to see where it occurs in the negotiation process. We will experience the empathy approach provided by Nonviolent Communication, and investigate...
A brief review of highlights and low lights of legal decisions in 2011 (and a few earlier). Topics include the U.S. Supreme Court decisions, IEPs, RTI, Placements, Bullying, Settlement Offers and more.
Professional Development for IDEA Hearing Officers will take place November 9-10, 2021. Please register below.
Preliminary findings and analysis will be shared from a qualitative case study researching special education directors’ experiences when responding to impartial due process hearing requests that are settled before proceeding to a hearing. This study is significant because it examines a point in the conflict resolution process that has largely not been studied by other researchers and it examines the process from the perspective of the school administrator responsible for responding to the request.
Presenter: Perry Zirkel , University Professor of Education and Law, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA This session will provide a synthesis of recent research focused on the trends in published hearing/review officer and judicial decisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The primary variables will be volume (i.e., how many such decisions) and outcomes (i.e., who won) in each successive time period. The discussion will include limitations in the research, recommendations for future studies, and implications for improved dispute resolution.
This session will provide a synthesis of recent research focused on the trends in published hearing/review officer and judicial decisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The primary variables will be volume (i.e., how many such decisions) and outcomes (i.e., who won) in each successive time period. The discussion will include limitations in the research, recommendations for future studies, and implications for improved dispute resolution.
Objectives: Participants will receive: an update on resolution meeting requirements under IDEA; information and materials on procedures, forms and data collection practices for tracking and managing resolution meetings in AZ and IL; an update on trends in national resolution meeting and agreement trends; reports on Arizona and Illinois “drill downs” into due process complaint resolutions outcomes; an opportunity to participate in an issues discussion with presenters and other participants.
Since the last CADRE Oregon Symposium, Massachusetts has attempted to expand resolution options. At the time of the last Symposium the state offered either formal Mediation or full-blown Appeals Hearings. This presentation will review MA history from the CORE Evaluation process (1972) to the current range of resolution options. Issues impacting district use of the less formal options will be shared as well as current data on use and outcomes. In addition to the power-point, handouts will include samples of training materials used with parents and school district personnel. Emerging and often...
Resolving Disputes Early Through the Use of Independent Advocates, Resource Parents & Solution Teams
Presenters: Jeanne Bowman , Technical Assistance Coordinator, MATRIX, Novato, CA Carlo Rossi , Sonoma County SELPA, Sebastopol, CA Participants in this humor filled session will learn how one Norhtern California SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area) provides a continuum of innovative and cost efficient dispute resolution activities that successfully assist families and schools in resolving conflicts while respecting the dignity of individuals and while creating mutally satisfying solutions.
Resolving Disputes Early Through the Use of Independent Advocates, Resource Parents & Solution Teams
Participants in this humor filled session will learn how one Norhtern California SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area) provides a continuum of innovative and cost efficient dispute resolution activities that successfully assist families and schools in resolving conflicts while respecting the dignity of individuals and while creating mutally satisfying solutions.
IEP team conflict is inevitable. Resolving team conflict is invaluable. Developing the skills to resolve conflict is a critical investment in enhancing the team process, and improving the outcomes for students with disabilities. This session will provide participants with a working knowledge of the sources of conflict and how to hone skills in order to match resources to resistance. Participants will use the Wheel of Conflict to observe, participate, and practice skills to assist team members to uncover their needs and interests, moving beyond entrenched positions. This skill-based learning...
This presentation will explore the intersection of special education and restorative practices based on the experiences of SchoolTalk's Restorative DC Program in Washington, DC. Since 2016, SchoolTalk has provided technical assistance to help DC schools implement a whole-school restorative model. The data, both in DC and nationally, show that students with disabilities are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or involved with the juvenile justice system then their non-disabled peers. How can restorative practices help address this gap? What do restorative practitioners need to know about...
Discipline in schools is rapidly backing away from Zero Tolerance, full of contention and misunderstanding, towards Restorative Discipline. Opportunities are ripe for these newly emerging restorative discipline systems to be considered as part of the continuum of dispute resolution practice. Participants will learn the basic techniques to implement Discipline That Restores (DTR) successfully . Further discussion will focus on how restorative discipline can build trust and improve the important student/family and school relationship along with opportunities for other stakeholders to...
Restorative justice is gaining prominence across the country as a way of keeping students who engage in misconduct in the classroom instead of on the street. This includes students with disabilities, who are suspended from school for misconduct at a disproportionate rate compared to general education students. In 2013, for example, students with disabilities in Michigan lost 190,036 days of education. The Michigan Special Education Mediation Program is engaged in a pilot project to determine whether restorative practices are appropriate for students with disabilities. The preliminary answer...
A restorative process, be that a chat or conversation with restorative questions, or a circle or conference to repair harm, is voluntary-participants are invited and they have choice to attend or not. Too often, students with special needs are not offered the support of a restorative process. The co-presenters, Nancy Riestenberg, author of Circle in the Square: Building Community and Repairing Harm in School, and current Restorative Practices Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education, and Patricia McGinnis, author of Change Pain to Gain: The Secrets of Turning Conflict into...