THE IMPACT OF TRUST AND LEADERSHIP FOR IEP TEAM OUTCOMES: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS AND SPECIAL EDUCATORS
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2023-05
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The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the central vehicle for school teams and families to develop an individualized program of instruction for students with disabilities. When school teams and families disagree, it can lead to negative results, including due process and mediation (Blackwell & Blackwell, 2015; Mueller & Piantoni, 2013). This study sought to understand how to build successful IEP team meeting agreements. The researcher collectedquantitative and qualitative from 125 families of students with special education through an online survey, that included Likert-style questions followed by three open-ended questions. The survey included demographic information and ratings of experiences, as well as questions related to trust (Lewicki, McAllister, and Biles, 1998), as well as questions related to servant leadership (Liden et al., 2008). Qualitative data was also collected through open-ended question interviews with six district-level leaders in special education, which was analyzed alongside the qualitative responses of the families with students in special education.
The analyzed data which was collected provided a deeper understanding for how special education leaders can guide school IEP teams to making appropriate IEP team agreements that benefit the student with families. The research validated the theoretical framework of previous studies related to trust (Lewicki, McAllister, and Biles, 1998). This study suggests that special education leaders who exhibit servant leadership tendencies (Saleem et al., 2020; Russell and Stone, 2002), which can include communication, seeking input, and most notably, empathy, are best able to navigate the diversity of parent feelings of trust and distrust, which can then lead to successful agreements between school teams and families.
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