Investigation of the role of the parent in the initial evaluation for special education services: Increasing collaboration within K-12 school districts to create a positive working relationship

The purpose of this study is to investigate how K-12 school districts can create and increase a positive working relationship with parents and guardians who have students that are actively going through the Initial Evaluation process to determine if their student meets eligibility criteria to receive Special Education Services. A phenomenological study was conducted to address two research questions: (RQ 1) What is the parent experience from the start of the Initial Evaluation to the placement of their child receiving special education services? (R Q2) What types of collaborative involvement parents experience with the school district during the initial review process? This qualitative study was conducted with n=10 research participants to discover their personal responses on how to create positive working relationships with campus level staff who are conducting Initial Evaluations on students to determine if the student qualifies to receive special education services. Parents continue to voice their concern regarding their involvement with the local school district and the role of the parent involvement is being further researched to identify positive ways to build a positive working relationship between the parent and the school district.