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Article
Perceptions of Parents of Youth with Disabilities Toward School-based Parent Engagement
Journal of Family Studies
  • We-hsuan Chang, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Ya-yu Lo, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Valerie L. Mazzotti, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Dawn A. Rowe, East Tennessee State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-12-2022
Description

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) mandated schools engage parents in their child’s educational planning. Despite schools’ adoption of various strategies to promote parent engagement, parents’ perceptions about these strategies, especially among those whose children are at the secondary transition age, are often overlooked. To examine parents’ perceptions of 23 previously documented parent engagement strategies, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey with 642 parents of youth with disabilities (ages 14–21) in the United States. Overall, participants reported that parent engagement strategies were moderately helpful in promoting parent engagement. Parents of color reported lower scores for perceived helpfulness than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Top-rated strategies included making time when parents have questions and communicating strategies clearly; however, this varied by race/ethnicity. Findings highlighted the need to address racial disparities in parent engagement strategies and the importance of school-parent collaboration/communication.

Disciplines
Citation Information
We-hsuan Chang, Ya-yu Lo, Valerie L. Mazzotti and Dawn A. Rowe. "Perceptions of Parents of Youth with Disabilities Toward School-based Parent Engagement" Journal of Family Studies (2022) ISSN: 1062-1024
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/dawn-rowe/186/