Section 01 Introduction

Parent involvement ^{[1] Goto footnote} is one of the most important predictors of students’ educational success. Compared to students whose parents are not involved in their education, students whose parents participate in their education tend to

• Have better grades
• Stay in school
• Graduate from high school at higher rates
• Demonstrate better social skills and behavior ^{[2] Goto footnote}

It is important that schools take actions to facilitate this involvement. ^{[3] Goto footnote} Importantly, “the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by…strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families…have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home.” ^{[4] Goto footnote}

The IDEA states that schools must give parents the opportunity to be involved in

• Determining their children’s eligibility for services based on assessment and evaluation results
• Determining appropriate educational placement
• Serving as IEP team members for their children ^{[5] Goto footnote}

Each year, to comply with requirements of IDEA, states must submit to the U.S. Department of Education’s OSEP their SPP/APR, which outlines their progress on a series of indicators related to improving outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. One part of this is related to Indicator B8, which relates to parent involvement. In addition to helping states report on Indicator B8, collecting data on parent involvement is an important step in the process of determining how to improve the programs and services offered to children with disabilities and their families.