The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and describe parenting practices that parents believe were effective in helping prepare their children with LD for college enrollment. Participants were chosen from among the parents of students interviewed by Cook (2010). Six parents (three couples) volunteered to be interviewed by phone. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Under the category of Parent Practices, themes emerged in the areas of early identification, self-advocacy training, and home accommodations, and under the category of Family Factors, themes emerged in the areas reading, expectation, and normalization. Findings are discussed concerning the study's implications to both parents and educators.

Social and emotional learning is an important element in educating the whole child. When social skills are taught and reinforced in a school-wide model, which incorporates positive behavior support, both students and faculty experience a better learning environment. The Book in a Bag intervention invites parent volunteers to teach social skills in the classroom. Supplementing this school-wide intervention, parents also receive a monthly newsletter informing them of the identified social skill and recommending associated children's picture books, which further reinforce the skill. The purpose of this study was to determine parent perceptions on the effectiveness of the Book in a Bag program, which was implemented in the target school. Questionnaires (N=327, 47.74% participation rate) were completed by parents who responded to questions about their perceptions of the program's influence on their children's behavior, the importance of parent involvement in the program, and the importance of the school-wide social skills program. Parents expressed an overall positive response to the school-wide social skills program. In addition to reporting and describing data, observations of the questionnaire's weaknesses and strengths are discussed. Future research possibilities and recommendations to further strengthen parent involvement in school-wide social skills programs are offered.

With over 6 million children receiving some form of special education in the United States, and federal legislation mandating that all disabled students be provided with a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE), school districts are facing the daunting task of providing individualized services for a growing percentage of special education students. Unfortunately, it is well established in the research literature that special needs students who "belong" to racial and ethnic minority groups and/or are from low Socioeconomic Status classes have traditionally been over-represented in special education. Disturbingly, not only are minorities over-represented in special education classification, they are also under-funded. While research contends that the actual level and quality of service received by members of the above groups tend to be sub-standard to those of their white and/or higher income counterparts, parent perceptions regarding this may or may not align with this fact. This leaves the potential for a gap to exist between what objective measurements and observations uncover and what the parent holds to be true. This also raises the question of ethics in equity of information access for those with limited cultural or social capital. This qualitative study examines the perceptions parents from various demographic groups have regarding the special education services their children receive. Interviews with parents of special needs children who are from the Philadelphia and surrounding areas serve as the primary data source. Additionally, information gathered while assuming the role of observer participant in a local support group serve as a support source of data for my study. A variety of sources were used to gather data on parent perceptions for this study. The parents of twelve special needs children were interviewed for this study. Each parent was asked a series of questions regarding their experiences with their child(ren)'s special education including, but not limited to, identification of the disability; ease/difficulty of obtaining services; design of education program offering; initiation of services; IEP implementation; and goal attainment. Several characteristics of the participants were focused on to identify commonalities among participants that determine likenesses in perceptions of various aspects of interest relating to special education services. Participation/observation in a support group for parents of special needs children, in addition to the literature distributed at that session also served as data sources for this study and that led to the study findings. Survey quantitative data, and information from limited IEP review, were also contributors to the pool of data that ultimately led to the study findings and recommendations. The conduction of a focus group was planned and attempted on more than one occasion during the study period, however, the recruitment of an acceptable number of willing participants proved to be an insurmountable challenge. One major area of interest in the study included determining if the participants believed there were differences in the special education services received by different students and if so, why. Interestingly, all of the respondents answered yes and identified eleven "major contributors" to the differences. The four considered most significant by a majority of the participants include Parental Persistence, Time Availability of the parents, the Connectedness/Access to Information maintained by the parents, and belonging to a high SES. After studying the content of all of the interviews, noticeable likenesses in the characterizations of the mindset of the participants regarding special education emerged. This commonality was so strong that it led me to give this phenomenon or theoretical concept a name - Framing Mindset. Each participant, as a result of her experiences over an extended period of time with the "universe of special education" develops a certain "casting point" where the parent's attitude becomes "set" and future decisions regarding special education programming for that child follow similar thought patterns. Thus, the parent has adopted one of three "mindsets" that serve as the "framework" from which all of their educational choices are built. Finally the study looked at the question: "How does a special needs parent's current stage of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance) relating to having a son or daughter with a long term, often lifelong disability, influence the perception of the variables (quality, appropriateness, timeliness, comprehensiveness) comprising his or her child's educational programming?" According to the responses given by the study participants, the majority of the respondents had a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services; a small number of respondents did not have a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services; and for less than one quarter of the respondents it was not possible to determine if there was a connection between the stage on the Kubler-Ross' Grief Cycle and their satisfaction level with special education services. The results of this study have implications for advocacy/parent education, professional support group/facilitator training, and education policy. First, the results of this study, tell us that a large majority of the participants believe that access to information is key to determining the composition of the special education program received by their child. Knowing this, the role of the advocate can become much more critical to both newly diagnosed parents and parents who are not well connected. Second, the literature, interview participants, and support group participants affirm that seeking out and attending support groups is often one of the first things the parent of a newly diagnosed disabled child does to both obtain information and relieve stress. Unfortunately, the participants also indicated their frustrations with the formats and content of the groups - enough so that most did not return. Therefore, it is recommended to be the most helpful to parents of special needs children through the support group venue, training for the potential facilitator and a quick survey to potential attendees to assess their interest, preferred format, and needs should occur first. Finally, the implications of information from the study for education policy relate to the both the implementation of special education law and the oversight of the implementation of special education law. All of the interviewees asserted that there are differences in special education services among special needs. As a result of this remarkable finding, I recommend that changes to education policy include a provision for local oversight or "watchdogging" of the process of special education service provision; tougher sanctions be developed for districts and private schools who fail to provide appropriate services to a disabled child or are found guilty of providing inequitable services; and that parent surveys about their home district be distributed annually with the district and private school's scorecard partially based on the survey scores. / Educational Administration

The purpose of this study was to compare the perception scores and the frequency of parental involvement for parents of students who have most recently completed elementary school (entering 6th grade) with parents of students who have most recently completed middle school (entering 9th grade) in a northeast Tennessee public school district. Data were collected by surveys containing a short demographic section, a perceptions section, and a participation section. The population consisted of the parents of 544 sixth grade students from the district’s 2 middle schools and the parents of 578 ninth grade students from 1 district high school. From that population 115 sixth grade parents and 105 ninth grade parents responded. This study took place at the onset of the school year to address parents as their children were either entering 6th grade in middle school or 9th grade in high school. Findings from the study indicate that there were significant differences between the parents of newly entering 6th graders and the parents of newly entering 9th graders in terms of home-based perception scores and frequency of participation. Specifically, parents of newly entering 6th graders had higher home-based perception scores and frequency of participation than parents of newly entering 9th graders. However, findings indicate that there was not a significant difference between the parent groups in terms of school-based perception scores and frequency of participation. When examined collectively (home-based and school-based combined), no significant differences were noted between the parent groups in terms of perception scores and frequency of participation. For each of these cases, independent samples t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences. Findings from the study also indicate that positive relationships are present between parents’ perception scores and their frequency of participation. This was true for both home-based and school-based involvement at both grade levels. Pearson r tests revealed these relationships. This study was important to help understand the perception scores and frequency of participation for parents of students in the middle school transition. Recommendations are made with the hopes of helping schools better tailor their parental involvement strategies to families they serve.

Numerous research showed having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can affect families in many ways (Brace, 2009; DeGrace, 2004; Fantaroni, 2012). The primary types of impact include family relationship (spousal and sibling relationships), finances, and access to resources and services to assist with caring for the social, emotional and academic development of a child with autism (Grindle & Remington, 2014; Harper et al., 2013; Koydemir & Tosun, 2009; Ludlow, Skelly, & Rohleder, 2011; Montes & Cianca, 2014). While extensive studies have shown similar findings of the impact of autism on family quality of life in America and other places in the world, such as Africa, East of England and London, Jamaica, Toronto and Turkey, limited or no research has shown the impact of autism on family quality of life in The Bahamas. This study expands those findings and identifies parent perceptions of the quality of life for a family raising a child or children with ASD in The Bahamas. The purpose of this study was to identify parent perceptions of the quality of life for a family raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in The Bahamas. This study employed the Beach Center on Disability (2006) Family Quality of Life Survey to collect data from a purposive and chain sample of 56 parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorder in The Bahamas. The data from the survey was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations, skewness, kurtosis, and correlation, and inferential statistics such as multiple regression, and coding for the four open-ended questions. The results of this study revealed the family quality of life for parents raising a child with ASD in The Bahamas was overall satisfactory with family interactions, parenting, and physical/material well-being being the areas of most satisfied, while emotional well-being and disability-related support were the least satisfied. The predictors for parenting, and emotional well-being were statistically significant for severity level, and educational level, respectively. The predictors for parenting a child with mild (p = 0.01) or moderate (p = 0.05) autism were higher than raising a child with severe autism. The predictor for emotional well-being for families with mother/guardian’s education level of a bachelor’s degree were the highest predictor and was statistically significant (p = 0.02). However, the predictor for emotional well-being for families with father/guardian’s education level of a bachelor’s degree was lower than father/guardian’s education level of a graduate/professional degree, which was statistical significant (p = .03). The correlation analysis revealed there was a positive and strong relationship between family interactions and physical/material well-being (p = .0003), and a positive and strong relationship between physical/material well-being and disability-related support (p = .0001). Emotional well-being and disability-related support also had a positive and strong relationship (p = .0001), and emotional well-being and physical/material well-being also had a positive and strong relationship (p = .0001). Educational workshop was identified as the dominant resources, but many indicated the lack of available resources. Evidence-based intervention (applied behavior analysis, speech therapy, occupational therapy) were identified as intervention/therapy services received, but most indicated the lack of available intervention/therapy, financial distress paying for these services, and dissatisfaction seeking resources and intervention services for their child with ASD. This study was significant as it highlighted and added to the knowledge relevant to parent perceptions of family quality of life raising a child with ASD. Identifying these perceptions would be useful toward improving services for families of children with ASD in The Bahamas. In addition, information gathered would assist in further development of effective programming initiatives specific for this population.

This phenomenological study investigated the nature and extent of the support parents received during IEP development. The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Participants, located in a Northeastern state, were 10 hearing parents of children who had been diagnosed with hearing loss at birth and were between ages 5 and 12. Data were in-depth interviews that were analyzed, coded, and organized into themes using an inductive approach to analysis informed by Hatch. Results indicated that parents believed they needed more guidance on what to expect during the first IEP meeting, that advocating for appropriate accommodations for their child was important, and that education professionals communicate in a more compassionate and less business-like manner when speaking with parents. Parents also indicated increased anxiety due to their perceptions that education professionals have inadequate knowledge about issues relating to hearing loss and hearing amplification technology. Based on these results, special education professionals and policy makers can focus on increased understanding of hearing loss and amplification use in order to help children with hearing loss achieve more positive educational outcomes effecting positive social change.

This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), special education teachers, and general education teachers in a Northeast Tennessee public school system regarding educational interventions for children with ASD including what interventions they have found effective, the barriers and challenges they have faced, and how they view their relationships with one another. Data were collected through interviews with a purposeful sample of 7 parents of 6 children with autism spectrum disorders, 8 special education teachers, and 6 general education teachers and a review of documents. Parent and teacher participants represented children at all levels on the autism spectrum, a variety of grade levels (PreK-12), and a wide range of educational placements. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison analysis method. Nine themes emerged describing parent and teacher perceptions of educational interventions they found effective for children with ASD. These themes were intensive early intervention using multiple methods; a structured learning environment; adult-mediated and peer-mediated interventions for social and communication skills; inclusion with a balance of direct services; support staff to facilitate inclusion; a functional approach to problem behaviors; alternative and augmentative communication interventions; and sensory-motor interventions. Barriers faced by parents and teachers included lack of training and knowledge; lack of time; challenges caused by characteristics of ASD; problematic teacher attitudes; problematic parent attitudes; transition issues; and need for additional services. Parents and teachers described factors that facilitate positive parent-teacher relationships including collaboration, teamwork, and support; on-going communication; IEP Team processes; and positive teacher relationships with autistic children. The current study helps to fill a gap in the existing research literature by adding to knowledge about parent and teacher perceptions of educational interventions for children with ASD. Recommendations are made based on study findings to provide parents and teachers with insights from other points of view that can facilitate mutual collaboration in meeting the educational needs of children with ASD.

Recent charter school enrollment trends suggest that many parents are choosing to enroll students in charter schools instead of traditional public schools, even though data indicate public school achievement is equal to or above charter schools. Guided by Rogers and Maslow's humanistic theory, the purpose of the study was to examine reasons why parents exercised their right to educational choice and chose charter schools instead of traditional public schools for their children. The study focused on two charter schools, the Learning Academy and the School of Excellence (both pseudonyms), which are located in a large urban and suburban school district in Georgia. In this qualitative case study, data collection occurred through focus groups and individual interviews. The information was then coded, and themes were identified. This resulted in rich descriptions of the beliefs and perceptions of 13 classroom teachers, 2 administrators, and 21 parents from the 2 schools studied. Parents interviewed considered student achievement, school climate, and parent involvement opportunities when choosing the charter school. The analyzed data led me to develop a policy recommendation highlighting professional development for teachers and administrators as well as suggestions for increased parental involvement in public schools. This study has the potential to bring about positive social change by providing insights regarding why charter schools are becoming a better choice for parents through the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators. School leaders have the option to implement policy recommendations in a way that promotes student learning, positive school climate, and parental engagement, benefiting students within the district.