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The Special Education Resolution Center of OSU (SERC) has been collaborating with the Oklahoma State Department of Education for over 10 years to help families and school districts resolve conflicts at the earliest stage possible. SERC provides services for children from birth to 3 in SoonerStart and for students 3 through 21 in public schools.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) can be overwhelming and challenging to understand and interpret when it comes to family involvement. This module provides a deeper look at understanding the research behind the importance of family-professional partnerships, and how these partnerships are best translated into practice. Both the letter and intent of federal educational laws will be described in a clear and understandable way for families and professionals to develop a set of shared expectations for this intended partnership. Please take time to view the presentation What Does The Law Have To Do With It?
Crucial Conversations author, Kerry Patterson, answers an important question on how to deal with criticism in this Crucial Skills blog. Be sure to read his pertinent and practical advise.
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SERC’s monthly Wisdom Wednesday Webinars have resumed. These free and informative webinars take place live on Zoom the third Wednesday of each month from Noon to 1:30 pm. Here are the upcoming webinars for this quarter.
April 19, 2023 – Introducing the IEP Team Relationship Rest. SERC Program Coordinator, Dr. Rob Keiter, will be our presenter for this session.
May 17, 2023 Webinar – ABLE-Tech AT Presentation
Dr. Gretchen Cole Lade – ABLE-Tech State Leadership Training Specialist, will be our presenter for this session.
Implementation of the IDEA requires collaboration between, families, educators, other professionals, and community resources. In the ideal environment, IEP team members listen to each member’s point of view and work together to develop a high-quality IEP. We’ve all been in IEP meetings where it didn’t take long to realize that the biggest Issue in the meeting wasn’t the “issues” that were being discussed, but rather the interpersonal dynamics and interactions between the team members. When using technology, sometimes we need to do a “reset” to get things to work again. Is it possible to reset a team when it’s stuck? The goal of this presentation will be to start a conversation around how we might go about resetting team relationships when and where collaboration is being sabotaged by the interactions between team members. The conversation begins by considering a strategic intervention that would include practical techniques leading to improved relationships and results on the IEP team. The training is designed for parents, school personnel, and individuals that work with organizations serving children with disabilities. Some of the things we’ll be talking about include: What is an IEP Team Relationship Reset? How do we know it’s needed? What does it look like? and Where to begin?
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SERC presents a professional development series with Tracy Gershwin, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Professor at the University of Northern Colorado.
This six-part series addresses important issues related to fostering family-professional partnerships, including conflict prevention and dispute resolution. Each module includes a presentation pdf, additional resources pdf, and video to be used to help facilitate groups who may use the series in professional development settings.
While IEP facilitations and mediations continue to be offered through online-video format with Zoom, in-person meetings are also available. Virtual meetings will be the default unless an in-person meeting is requested. To participate in a virtual meeting, you will need a computer/iPad/smartphone with WIFI and a place to meet without interruptions. Participants can also access by phone. An iPad with hot spot can be provided for use at no cost for those without access to a computer and/or WIFI. Contact SERC for more information about scheduling a virtual or in-person meeting.
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Crucial Conversations can help you in your conversations with:
- School administrators
- Special Education Directors and staff
- School Staff and personnel including general ed teachers
- Service resource providers
- IEP team members
- Parents and their advocates
- Organizations and family support personnel that work with children with disabilities
We offer in-person classes as well as a virtual format using Zoom that is very effective. The in-person format consists of two days, and the virtual format consists of five 2.5-hour long sessions that can be scheduled over three days or one session at a time.
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue is available at no cost to those attending through our partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. If you are interested in scheduling a future training for your district during the summer or fall, please contact Rob Keiter at rob.keiter@okstate.edu or (405) 569-3105.
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You may be wondering which dispute resolution process would be the best for you when dealing with special education-related disputes. This dispute chart will help you understand the differences between the three processes offered in Oklahoma. Each of these processes is offered at no cost to schools or parents. Please contact us with any questions related to our dispute resolution processes. We can help you decide which process will work the best for your situation.
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ABLE Tech Monthly AT Workshops
ABLE Tech has successfully completed several series of virtual workshops for special education and related service providers. The feedback was outstanding and focused on planning positive systemic improvements and changes.
Monthly workshops are currently scheduled through April of 2023. For more information about the ABLE Tech monthly workshops, visit the ABLE Tech calendar.
Jo Anne Pool Blades, Program Manager
Special Education Resolution Center (SERC) Oklahoma State University Sponsored Program 9726 E 42nd Street, Suite 203 | Tulsa, OK 74146 Phone: 918.270.1849 | Email: jo.blades@okstate.edu
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