PEER Review

In This Issue....

• Ed Reform and Legal Frameworks Focus for Second Teleconference
• Parent Involvement in Schools
• At Home in Our School: A Needs Assessment Survey
• Checklist for Improving Parental Involvement
• Cybercolumn
• Resource Collection
• Parent Teacher Conferences
• Upcoming Events

Ed Reform and Legal Frameworks Focus for Second Teleconference

Ms. Lipton is the parent of two children; her older daughter Chloe is 23 years old and has severe disabilities. Chloe was among the first generation of children to go through school after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed. Ms. Lipton was involved in advocacy throughout her daughter's schooling. She eventually attended to law school and is now an attorney at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) in Berkeley, California.

Ms. Healy is the parent of a 16-year-old daughter with significant disabilities. She is also an elected member of the Pittsburgh Board of Education in an urban district. Ms. Healy is involved in school reform in the school districts to ensure that there are educational opportunities for all students.

TWENTY YEARS OF INCLUSION LEGISLATION AND CASE LAW--WHERE HAVE WE BEEN? WHERE ARE WE NOW?

In the 1980's, the first generation of LRE cases which litigated the rights of children with cognitive disabilities to be in special day classes in regular schools (a modest goal by today's standards) was born. For various reasons, these cases did not do very well at the time.

In the late 1980's, a number of changes occurred. In schools where integration had started to take place, a whole body of research had developed concerning the benefits of integration and the poor results achieved in segregated settings. People were also developing more experience with integration, and a lot of strategies and technologies were being disseminated. The development of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the publicity it was receiving in the late 1980's and early 1990's also contributed to the change in the American consciousness toward people with disabilities. Fortunately, the courts were being educated at the same time. Because of these changes, parents of young children with disabilities were now expecting that their children would be integrated.

All of these factors came together and were manifested in a new wave of cases (1989-1994), starting with Daniel R. These were mainly cases about children with mental retardation being entitled to services. The cases started a revolution in the implementation of IDEA.

By 1994, several strong court cases prescribed looking at the academic and nonacademic benefits of regular class placement and the provision of related services in the regular classroom for children with disabilities.

More recently, there have been some cases that have not been as favorable to inclusion. These cases have not upset existing case law, but they have been applying the same standards to older children or children who have behavior problems and achieving different results. The right of these children to remain in the regular classroom has not been as strong. The behavior issue is the new challenge to full inclusion. [It is important to note that the body of the law in IDEA never changed--how people perceived what was the least restrictive environment for students is what changed over time.]

INCLUSION AND EDUCATION REFORM -- WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP?

GENERAL ED REFORM VS. SPECIAL ED REFORM -- ALIKE OR DIFFERENT?

General Education Reform
When comparing the reform agenda in regular education and the reform agenda in special education, we need to look at what was the initial impetus to broad based school reform. The impetus came from a report by industry about what it needed and how schools could better prepare students for the work place. Outcomes became important, as did students who were lifelong learners with the ability to learn new skills, work cooperatively with others, be courteous to customers, and be responsible and on time. Looking at how you teach these skills in school and where it breaks down is largely what began the general education school reform movement.

Special Education Reform
Other people were focused on equity. Special education reform was driven by looking at how much time (and money) when into the provision of special education services and what children were able to do as a result. Reformers in this area were trying to raise the level of expectations for kids with disabilities.

REFORM AT THE LOCAL LEVELS -- WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Voucher initiatives are programs where parents are given, e.g., $2,000 a year to spend towards any school they want their children to attend. One of the unfortunate results of this initiative is that poor kids and kids with disabilities are left behind to attend the public schools.

Parent Involvement in Schools

School climate (or culture) emerges as one of the biggest underlying issues in both school reform/restructuring AND parent involvement in general education and, thereby, in reform activities. In the right culture, students who pose learning uniquenesses or who require learning supports because of their diversity are "no big deal" or are viewed as a gift to teach the school, other students and the staff lessons that they cannot easily learn without these students. It would be beneficial for PTIs (and others involved in education reform) to begin thinking about ways to impact the culture of schools, ways which would create a primary leveraging point in creating situations in which children with disabilities are successful.

Building a culture of "caring" or "community" is another way of framing how curriculum and instructional approaches are decided upon. If designed with these dimensions in mind, children can be as successful or more successful academically and have a richer context of learning. The approaches which foster caring are the same approaches conducive to involving diverse learners.

With that in mind, please review the checklists and needs assessment excerpts below. These tools help parents and schools assess the extent to which parent involvement has been achieved; i.e., the extent to which parents feel "at home" in schools.

At Home in Our School: A Needs Assessment Survey

We are in the process of putting together a program of activities to build a stronger sense of community at our school. Please help us think about our school's strengths and weaknesses in providing a sense of community for children, parents, teachers, and other staff members.

STUDENTS

• Most students feel a sense of belonging in classrooms and in the school.
• Most students feel cared for by other students, teachers, and adults in the school.
• Most students have the opportunity to practice "helping" behavior.
• Most students have the opportunity to interact with older and younger children.
• Most students have opportunities to take responsibility for their physical environment.
• Most students feel safe in the building and school yard.

• Most parents/families are informed about what takes place in the classroom.
• Most parents/families have opportunities to develop trusting relationships with teachers.
• Most parents/families attend parent-teacher conferences regularly.
• Most parents/families attend activities that their children are involved in.
• Most parents/families find the school to be a welcoming place.
• Most parents/families are aware of ways positive social behavior is fostered in the school.
• Most parents/families want the school to help foster their children's growth as caring people.
• Most parents/families are aware of the importance of reading with their children at home.
• Most parents/families are concerned with their children's learning goals.
• The school provides opportunities for parents to support their children's learning.
• The school does a good job of communicating with parents.

• The school has a clear vision that is shared among parents, teachers, and staff.
• The school is a clean and safe environment for students and staff.
• The school involves itself in the greater community surrounding it.
• The school feels like a warm, inviting, and inclusive place.