The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 focuses on the need for families of children with disabilities to partner with educators to create better outcomes for students. In order to support the important role of families in the educational process, staff from the Divisions for Special Education and from other divisions such as Title 1 partner with individuals from state and private agencies to support families on a daily basis. In addition, the Divisions partner with parents through the State Advisory Panel for Special Education, the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership, and school districts' special education stakeholder groups. The Divisions also collaborate on leadership training and communication resources with the state's major parent/family education and advocacy groups. A family engagement specialist on staff advises the Divisions on ways to increase parent engagement and build partnerships between educators and parents ultimately leading to better student outcomes. It is the goal of Georgia's parent initiatives to create a collaborative community of parents and educators to increase student achievement for students with disabilities. Part of the work includes collaborating with members of the Parent Leadership Coalition, which includes family engagement partners within the GaDOE, particularly Title 1 Parent Involvement Coordinators, and other state agencies and organizations.
For more GaDOE information on families, please use the parent link in the Site Guide on the Georgia DOE homepage or click here.
Current Information
Special Education Services during this time of COVID-19
