What Research on IEPs Tells Us:

IEPs often have limited relevancy to the general classroom (Morgan & Rhode, 1983; Dudley-Marling, 1985; Joseph, Lindgren, Creamer & Lane, 1983);
The IEP has increasingly become the sole curriculum offered to many students (Pugach & Warger, 1993)--often addressing only a narrow range of content with few linkages to the general curriculum (Giangreco, Dennis, Edelman & Cloninger, 1994);
General educators rarely participate in IEP meetings (Gartner & Lipsky, 1987);
About one-fourth of all parents do not participate at all in their child's IEP meeting (Katsiyannis & Ward, 1992). Students of low-income levels (Singer & Butler, 1992) and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Harry, 1992; Vincent, 1992) have even lower parental participation than most. Reasons for the lack of parent involvement include cultural differences, logistical difficulties (e.g., scheduling, transportation, child care) as well as a tendency to be intimidated by other members of the IEP team;
IEP committees tend only to recommend those resources that are available within a school or school district (Tucker, Goldstein & Sorenson, 1993); and
IEPs often are used solely for process accountability. Because of the lack of connection to system goals or to the general curriculum, it is virtually impossible to use the IEP to assess the progress of students with disabilities (Brauen, O'Reilly & Moore, 1994).

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