Reading Buddies for students-Parent Mentors for parents

Parent-to-parent mentoring programs in the Rio Grande Valley are helping parents play a more meaningful role in their children's education. Developed by The University of Texas, the programs are based on the concept of parents helping other parents play a proactive role in ensuring that their children get the most out of their education.

Many parents who comment on this blog, have attested to having times when they or another parent they have contact with have been befuddled by what to do when it comes to dealing with matters of their child’s education.

In just the past two months, I have had three (3) parents whose children have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) reach out to me, in hopes of finding answers. When they went to the school, the answers they got were reactionary and in all cases invited more questions that parent didn’t feel equipped to ask.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of parents with students who have IEPs are uninformed as to exactly what the IEP means to their student’s future. In almost all cases, it will mean that their child will be able to graduate with sub-par reading, writing and arithmetic skills. The student begins to see what it means to their future, as they begin to become angry at teachers and suffer from feelings of being less and feel ashamed. As a result, they may begin to act out.

From Peoria Story regarding class size.

For the 2011 school year, 21% of students in District 150 had an IEP, which is actually a legal contract between the parent and the school. IEPs, that teachers through no fault of their own, simply do not have the time to review, implement, or update until required to do so. Consider the size of the class, factor in the number of IEPs and the fact that the teachers don't get a chance to review the IEPs before the class is fully stocked, it's an equation for disruption.

In some school districts, they have Parent Mentors that are specifically for students who have IEPs. The majority of parents in the inner city are not so fortunate as to have a parent who participated in the PTO, or who may be savvy in dealing with schools. As a result, some parents will need to be empowered to advocate. Another parent could do that for them.

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland

Parents also need Mentors to help deal with issues of gifted education and other matters of programming. Teaching and accepting parents who advocate for their student will be a learning process for all involved, as schools will need to realize that a parent who advocates for their child should not be viewed as an adversary, but as a part of the team.

There are some parents who understand how to grow a thirsty student, I am fortunate enough to be able to learn from some of them. However, at this juncture, we need to share our knowledge and an organized effort to mentor parents is warranted.

If the District can't/won't implement a Parent Mentor program, at the very least, they should consider an Ombudsman to assist parents.

A Parent Mentor:

• Listens and provides support to families and educators on an individual basis.
• Guides families through the special education process, including rights and responsibilities.
• Provides information and resources to families on such subjects as education laws and community resources.
• Attends meetings at the request of parents or staff. These meetings include Individual Educational Program (IEP) meetings, Multi-Factored Evaluation Team meetings (MFE), Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) meetings, Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) team meetings, and more.
• Organizes and conducts information sessions or workshops based on the needs of families and professionals in the community.
• Helps build collaborative partnerships between families, schools, and community to benefit students with disabilities.

Reasons to call the Parent Mentor can include situations like these:

• I'm worried about my child moving from one school to the next.
• I feel alone and wish I could talk to another parent who understands my concerns. 
• I feel no one is listening to my concerns about my child.
• I have questions about my child's education, and I forgot to ask them at the school meeting.
• I'm worried about my child's progress and am not sure what to do.
• I would like to have someone attend and support me at an IEP meeting or another meeting at school.
• I'm not sure if I have all the information I need and would like to speak with someone who can provide information in a "parent-friendly" way.

New label for angry teens: Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Research confirms the disparities in access to mental health services between African-American and white youth. African-Americans are consistently less likely than their white counterparts to seek out or receive mental health treatment. When it's time for school, schools are often left with the serious task of "diagnosing" what mental health/learning issues students may have.

The result of being diagnosed by schools, more often than not lead to students having Individual Education Plans (IEP). In my opinion a IEP is nothing more than a gerbil wheel; a tracking device that students never seem to shake. The IEP will follow them from K-12, it is a label that limits the student's ability to grow. Unfortunately, in more instances than not, schools push students with IEPs aside, while receiving federal dollars for their special education.

Now there is a new diagnosis for hard to deal with youth, Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). I shudder to think what schools can and/or will do with this diagnosis. Is the IED diagnosis just another label, or is it something that could bring students who really need help closer to getting the necessary mental health care services?

The condition is characterised by persistent and uncontrollable anger attacks. A new study, based on a household survey of 10,148 young teenagers in the US, found that nearly two thirds had a history of anger attacks involving real or threatened violence.

It also found that one in 12 met strict criteria for a diagnosis of IED. Across the US, that would equate to almost six million individuals.

IED, recognised as an impulse control disorder, usually begins in late childhood and persists through the middle years of life.

To be diagnosed with IED, a person must at any time in life have had three episodes of ''grossly out of proportion'' impulsive aggressiveness.

For the new study, published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, a more stringent definition of IED was used which ruled out other mental disorders contributing to angry outbursts.

The research also indicated that IED was not being properly treated. Although 37.8 per cent of teenagers with the disorder obtained treatment for emotional problems, only 6.5 per cent were specifically given help with anger management.

Lead researcher Professor Ronald Kessler, from Harvard Medical School in the US, said: ''If we can detect IED early and intervene with effective treatment right away, we can prevent a substantial amount of future violence perpetration and associated psychopathology.''