Bilingual and Monolingual Parents' Counterstories of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting

The Individual With Disabilities Education Act mandates that parents should be active participants in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. This qualitative study looked at the IEP process from a critical lens that focused on diverse participants' experiences at their child's IEP meeting. What distinguishes counterstories from a majoritarian story is that a counterstory incorporates the five elements of critical race theory (CRT). The authors used the composite narrative to tell the story of four Latinx parents' experiences in two urban schools during IEP meetings. Findings highlight how the participants could have used Yosso's notion of community cultural wealth to better navigate the IEP meeting and create more understanding and responsiveness among school personnel. Counterstories are recommended as a culturally relevant instructional tool that has the potential to help parents increase their involvement and create a more open dialogue with professionals at IEP meetings.