Multicultural Aspects of Parent Involvement in Transition Planning

Abstract

This study surveyed 308 African-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American and European-American parents to assess their level of participation in various transition planning activities and how important each activity was to them. In addition, 52 school professionals completed a parallel survey of their perceptions toward parent participation. Analyses indicate that culturally and linguistically diverse parents are active in the transition process and, in some instances, their level of reported participation surpassed that of European-American parents. In contrast, professionals described culturally and linguistically diverse parents as less involved than European-American parents in the majority of transition activities. The results are discussed in terms of how the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse parents can be better supported and the importance of transition planning extending beyond school to include other life domains.