Parent Engagement and Advocacy in Individualized Education Programs in Rural Appalachian School Districts

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore parent engagement and parent advocacy in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation in rural Appalachian school districts. Parent engagement and parent advocacy in Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation are persistent challenges in special education. By intentionally grounding this research in rural Appalachia, the researcher responded to calls for education research that is attentive to the complexity and diversity of rural communities. Parents in rural areas face unique challenges related to poverty, isolation, and limited resources that can influence their engagement and advocacy in the IEP process. The essential research question which guided this study was: What are the experiences of parents of kindergarten through twelfth grade students with disabilities on parent engagement and parent advocacy in Individualized Education program (IEP) development and implementation in rural Appalachian public school districts? Participants included 16 parents of students who: (a) had a current IEP, (b) were enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade, (c) were in a general education setting at least 51% of the school day. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field notes, and reflexive journaling. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze data. Data analysis strategies included inductive line-by-line analysis, exploratory noting, construction and organization of individual Personal Experiential Statements, coding individual Personal Experiential Themes (PETs), and developing Group Experimental Themes (GETs). To ensure trustworthiness of the 3 findings, rigorous measures such as member checking and data triangulation through environmental triangulation and multiple perspective interviews were used. Analysis of the data revealed three key themes: (a) trust, (b) resilience, and (c) access. Trust emerged as a critical factor where participants described trusting school staff, but mistrusting institutions. Resilience emerged as participants described their own experience engaging and advocating in IEP development and implementation despite adversity they were committed to develop resilience in their children. Access to special education resources was emphasized; uneven availability, provision, and awareness of resources influenced parent advocacy and parent engagement in IEP development and implementation.