Forming a parent support group to improve parental participation of parents with children with special needs

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 20-25)Although public schools have put policies into practice to increase parental involvement as mandated by NCLB and IDEIA, some findings suggest these programs fall short of recognizing the linguistic and cultural needs of the neighborhood. As a result, some researchers believe that instead of closing the achievement gap, parent involvement policies widen the gap. To address this issue, a parent website was created to provide parents with a forum to access information and share strategies. The Website project was aimed at increasing parental involvement. Participants in this project were parents or caregivers with children receiving special education services in a special day classroom designed for students with learning disabilities. Approximately 92% of parents owned a personal computer or had access to a computer with an Internet connection. Fifty-three percent of participants identified Spanish or a language other than English as their first language. Approximately 93% of the participants' children are eligible for a free or reduced-cost lunch. A subgroup population evaluated the content, design layout, and navigation of the website. Responses indicated positive results. Unfortunately, there were limitations that made it difficult to observe if the website project increased parental involvement (e.g. unexpected administrative staff changes at the school). Future research needs to determine if there is a boost in parent involvement by observing interaction with the website, PTG membership, and participating in volunteer opportunities