Q&A: A prom photo: 'That's what IDEA is about'

NEA Today, Jan 2002

Paula Goldberg heads the PACER Center, a federally funded agency whose mission is to help parents understand IDEA, and work effectively with teachers.

How did you get involved with IDEA and parents?

I was a teacher in the Chicago area before the federal law passed in 1975, and a third of my students had special needs, although they weren't identified that way. I took a course on "The Atypical Child" because I didn't have enough training.

When my own child was born, I chaired a study on special education for the League of Women Voters. Some of us went to the legislature and said parents need to help plan their children's programs. That was pretty revolutionary We got a small grant to teach parents about their role under the law. We're still doing that.

What advice do you have for a teacher who feels he or she is not communicating well with a parent?

Call the parent at home. One-on-one takes time, but it is productive. It shows the teacher cares. Families tell us that all they hear in school

are the negatives. Sometimes they don't want to come to school because of that. Every person has strengths. Say to the parents, "Your child draws well, but we are having problems with this behavior. What can we work out together?"

Parents and teachers want the same thing. One parent called us from a phone booth. She didn't have a phone, and she had redeemed empty bottles to get the change to use the phone. No matter what the income level, parents want to help their children.

We also had a teacher who called us anonymously because she was afraid she would lose her job if her district found out. Teachers care. What changes have you seen?

It's just amazing how far we've come. Prior to 1975, children with disabilities were often kept in institutions.

I have a picture on my refrigerator of a girl who had cerebral palsy--couldn't walk or talk. At age four, we helped her get a device with which she could press a button to say, "I'd like a cookie." After a year, she didn't need it anymore. She was integrated into a regular class and in second grade she was Student of the Month. The picture on my refrigerator is from her high school prom. She's planning to go to junior college. That's what IDEA is about.