Ethical Practices and Parental Participation in Rural Special Education

Abstract

The field of special education has a historical precedent for establishing ethical practices for professionals. These practices have evolved through legal mandates, scientific inquiry, professional research, professional organizations, and consumer concerns and input. A pivotal component of special education ethics focuses on the involvement of parents and/or family members as equal partners within the special education process. The purpose of this article is to examine the ethics of parental involvement in special education from a primarily rural special education perspective. This article reviews current research to date and discusses implications of the disconnect between the ethical responsibility of assuring equal parent participation and research findings. This article provides specific recommendations for future directions in promoting parental involvement in rural special education contexts.