A n Observational Analysis of the IEP Conference

Through naturalistic observational procedures, this study examined the dynamics of individualized education program (IEP) conferences. Participants present, the nature a n d frequency of topics discussed, and the length of conferences were considered. A followup questionnaire was administered to all conference participants to measure satisfaction. Results indicated that the IEP conferences studied generally involved the resource teacher, who was found to he the most dominant speaker, reviewing an already developed IEP with the parents, who were the primary recipients of the comments made at the conference. Implications point to the need to train parents in procedures and responsibilities associated with the IEP process and to train professionals to involve parents as active decision makers in defining an appropriate education for their child. S U E GOLDSTEIN is Doctoral Student; BONNIE STRICKLAND is Instructor; and ANN P. TURNBULL is Associate Professor, Division of Special Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. LYNN CURRY is Assistant Director of Research, Division of Continuing Medical Education, Daihousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Exceptional Children, Volume 46, Number 4. Copyr i g h t © 1980 The Council for Exceptional Children • In the last decade professionals in special education have noted the need to involve parents in educational planning for their children as teachers, advisors, and advocates (Simches, 1975). Studies have indicated that parents' participation in education has a positive effect on their child's achievement (Bigler, 1975; Bittie, 1975; Edgerly, 1975; Locke, 1976; McKinney, 1975). Parent involvement has also brought about positive change in parental attitudes (Corrado, 1975; Lynch, 1976). With the passage of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, a parent participation component of special education has been mandated for the public schools. Parents are now to be involved in all aspects of their child's placement process. This includes the presence of the parent at the individualized education program (IEP) conference. Communication has been emphasized as a major need by both parents and professionals in forming an effective alliance. The IEP conference can be viewed as an excellent means of exchanging information and as a mutual planning session between school and home. In this conference the professional can define his or her role as one of consultant to the parent, helping to set realistic goals for the child. The role of parents in IEP development and on school planning teams has just begun to evolve. In a survey of professional members of school planning teams, a majority felt that parent participation in IEP development should consist mainly of presenting and gathering information relevant to the case, rather than contributing to the educational planning (Yoshida, Fenton, Kaufman, & Maxwell, 1978). Although many parents and professionals have advocated the role of parents of exceptional