Parent involvement and leadership have evolved over time and carry different meanings within various educational contexts in the United States. In special education, parent involvement includes the roles that parents of children with disabilities play in the development of their children’s Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), as well as in leadership and policy development and evaluation. In spite of the purported benefits of parent leadership in educational planning and policy, little research has been conducted on models that intentionally build critical skills and leadership opportunities among parents of children with disabilities. This article describes results associated with a leadership development project known as “Parents as Collaborative Leaders” (PACL) in which parents from across the United States participated in a leadership curriculum and individualized internship experiences at the local, state, and national levels. Participants reported a number of positive outcomes, including skills and experiences gained through curriculum and internship experiences, increased participation in leadership and policy activities, increased networking and relationships, and a sense of leading for a larger purpose. The article describes the development and implementation of the PACL model, outcomes associated with a subset of participants, and implications for policy and practice.
AngellM. E.StonerJ. B.SheldenD. L. (2009). Trust in education professionals: Perspectives of mothers with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 30, 160–176. doi:10.1177/0741932508315648
2.
BarenokT.WieckC. (1998). Partners in policymaking: Far more than the object of policy. In WardL. (Ed.), Innovations in advocacy and empowerment for people with intellectual disabilities (pp. 233–244). Chorley, UK: Lisieux Hall.
3.
Blue-BanningM.SummersJ. A.FranklandH. C.NelsonL. L.BeegleG. (2004). Dimensions of family and professional partnerships: Constructive guidelines for collaboration. Exceptional Children, 70, 167–184.
4.
CallicottK. J. (2003). Culturally sensitive collaboration within person-centered planning. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 60–68.
5.
CreswellJ. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
6.
Cunconan-LahrR.BrothersonM. J. (1996). Advocacy in disability policy: Parents and consumers as advocates. Mental Retardation, 34, 352–358.
7.
EpsteinJ. L. (2010). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 81–96.
8.
FergusonC. (2008). The school-family connection: Looking at the larger picture. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratories.
9.
ForestM.LusthausE. (1987). The kaleidoscope: Challenge to the cascade. In ForestM. (Ed.), More education/integration (pp. 1–16). Downsview, Ontario, Canada: G. Allan Roeher Institute.
10.
FriendM.CookL. (2012). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
11.
HainesS. J.McCartA.TurnbullA. P. (2013). Family engagement within early childhood response to intervention. In BuysseV.Peisner-FeinbergE. (Eds.), Handbook on response to intervention (RTI) in early childhood (pp. 313–324). New York, NY: Brookes.
12.
HarryB. (1992). An ethnographic study of cross-cultural communication with Puerto Rican-American families in the special education system. American Educational Research Journal, 29, 471–494.
13.
HarryB. (2008). Collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse families: Ideal versus reality. Exceptional Children, 74, 372–388.
14.
HattieJ. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of meta-analyses related to achievement. New York, NY: Routledge.
15.
HendersonA. T.JacobB.Kernan-SchlossA.RaimondoB. (2004). The case for parent leadership. Arlington, VA: KSA Plus Communications.
16.
HendersonA. T.MappK. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connection on student achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Education Development Laboratory.
17.
JeppsonE. S.ThomasJ. (1995). Essential allies: Families as advisors. Bethesda, MD: Institute for Family-Centered Care.
18.
JeynesW. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42, 82–110.
19.
KalyanpurM.HarryB. (2012). Cultural reciprocity in special education: Building family-professional relationships. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
20.
KoroloffN.HunterR.GordonL. (1995). Family involvement in policy making: A final report on the families in action project. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health, Portland State University.
21.
LeithwoodK. (2010). Four key policy questions about parent engagement: Recommendations from the evidence. In DeslandesR. (Ed.), International perspectives on contexts, communities and evaluated innovative practice (pp. 8–20). London, England: Routledge.
22.
LeithwoodK.PattenS.JantziD. (2010). Testing a conception of how school leadership influences student learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46, 671–706. doi:10.1177/00136161X10377347
23.
LincolnY.GubaE. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE.
24.
LoL. (2012). Demystifying the IEP process for diverse parents of children with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(3), 14–20.
25.
LopezG. R.ScribnerJ. D.MahitivanichaK. (2002). Redefining parent involvement: Lessons from high-performing migrant-impacted schools. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 253–288.
26.
MattinglyD. J.PrislinR.McKenzieT. L.RodriguezJ. L.KayzarB. (2002). Evaluating evaluations: The case of parent involvement programs. Review of Educational Research, 72, 549–576.
27.
MaykutP.MorehouseR. (1994). Beginning qualitative research: A philosophical and practical guide. London, England: Falmer Press.
28.
MilesM. B.HubermanA. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
29.
MuscottH. S. (2002). Exceptional partnerships: Listening to the voices of families. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 46, 66–69.
OlivosE. M. (2009). Collaboration with Latino families: A critical perspective of home-school interactions. Intervention in School and Clinic, 45, 109–115.
32.
OvertonS. (2005). Collaborating with families: A case study approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
33.
PopperB. K. (1994, Spring-Summer). Who you gonna call?Early Childhood Bulletin, pp. 1–3.
34.
RaoS. S. (2000). Perspectives of an African-American mother on parent-professional relationships in special education. Mental Retardation, 38, 475–488.
35.
RubinH. (Ed.). (2009). Collaborative leadership: Developing effective partnerships for communities and schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
36.
SalembierG.FurneyK. S. (1997). Facilitating participation: Parents’ perceptions of their involvement in the IEP/transition planning process. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 20, 29–42.
37.
SearcyS.Lee-LawsonC.TrombinoB. (1995). Mentoring new leadership roles for parents of children with disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 16, 307–314.
38.
ShapiroJ.MonzóL. D.RuedaR.GomezJ. A.BlacherJ. (2004). Alienated advocacy: Perspectives of Latina mothers of young adults with developmental disabilities on service systems. Mental Retardation, 42, 37–54.
39.
SmithS. W. (1990). Individualized education programs (IEPs) in special education—From intent to acquiescence. Exceptional Children, 57, 6–14.
40.
StaplesK. E.DilibertoJ. A. (2010). Guidelines for successful parent involvement: Working with parents of students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(6), 58–63.
41.
ThousandJ. S.VillaR. A. (2000). Collaborative teaming: A powerful tool in school restructuring. In VillaR. A.ThousandJ. S. (Eds.), Restructuring for caring and effective education: Piecing the puzzle together (2nd ed., pp. 254–291). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
42.
TurnbullA.TurnbullR.ErwinE. J.SoodakL. C.ShogrenK. A. (2011). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcomes through partnerships and trust (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
43.
TurnbullR.BeegleG.StoweM. J. (2001). The core concepts of disability policy affecting families of children who have disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 12, 133–143. doi:10.1177/104420730101200302
44.
TurnbullR.TurnbullA.ShankM.SmithS. J. (2004). Exceptional lives: Special education in today’s schools (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
45.
WhiteK. R.TaylorM. J.MossV. D. (1992). Does research support claims about the benefits of involving parents in early intervention programs?Review of Educational Research, 62, 91–125.
46.
YellM. L.RogersD.Lodge RogersE. (1998). The legal history of special education: What a long strange trip it’s been. Remedial and Special Education, 19, 219–229.
47.
ZhangC.BennettT. (2003). Facilitating the meaningful participation of culturally and linguistically diverse families in the IFSP and IEP process. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 51–59.
