Each year, parents of children ages 3 through 5 receiving special education services and parents of students ages 6 through 26 with individualized education programs (IEPs) are surveyed about their experiences with Michigan’s special education services. Wayne State University (WSU) conducts the parent survey (Facilitated Parent Involvement, State Performance Plan Indicator 8) for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education Services (OSE).
Improving Family Involvement is an online resource centered around family involvement and is intended to assist in improved communication between schools and families.
Parent involvement in schools can take many forms and is universally seen as an important factor in a child’s success in school. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools to develop ways to get parents more involved in their child’s education and in improving the school.
To measure the extent to which school districts are actually facilitating parent involvement, a set of questions developed by the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) is sent out each spring to families whose children use special education supports and services. The results are part of Michigan’s federal reporting.
This FOCUS on Results document includes a detailed examination of the importance of parent involvement and how it is measured and sample practices of the six types of parent involvement.
FOCUS on Results is produced and distributed by the Center for Educational Networking (CEN). CEN is funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and supports mandated communication efforts of the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), the Michigan State Board of Education (SBE), or the U.S. Department of Education (USED), and no endorsement is inferred. These documents are in the public domain and may be copied for further distribution when proper credit is given. For more information or inquiries about this project, contact the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 373-0923.
The Center for Educational Networking (CEN) is a Mandated Activities Project (MAP), funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education.
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