By Dr. Kristin K. Meyer, Ed.D.
Education Policy Fellowship Center (EPLC) 2024–25 Fellow
In every Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting I’ve attended over the years—as a teacher, an administrator, and now as an educational advocate—there’s one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty: when parents are trained, supported, and equipped to understand their child’s needs, outcomes change.
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) got this right decades ago. Buried deep in the regulations, there’s a small but powerful provision called Parent Counseling and Training (34 C.F.R. § 300.34(c)(8)). It requires schools to help parents understand their child’s special needs, share information about child development, and build parents’ capacity to support learning and emotional growth at home.
Unfortunately, it’s one of the least implemented pieces of the law.
The Provision that Holds Everything Together
As professionals, we often talk about “fidelity of implementation”—whether something is done not just in name, but in spirit and action. IDEA’s parent training provision was meant to ensure that families aren’t spectators to their child’s education; they’re collaborators.
When it works, this provision transforms IEP meetings from compliance checkboxes into partnerships. Parents understand goals. Teachers have allies at home. And children experience continuity across settings.
But far too often, the words “parent counseling and training” appear on an IEP and then disappear from practice. There’s no schedule, no funding, and no data. It’s not that schools don’t believe in parent partnership—it’s that no system is holding them accountable for it.
What I Learned in MY EPLC Fellowship
As part of the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) Fellowship, my research focused on this gap—how training, while federally mandated, is rarely implemented with fidelity.
Through sessions with legislative leaders and education policy experts, one thing became clear: mandates without mechanisms are just good intentions. Schools want to do right by families, but without state-level infrastructure, training becomes optional.
My project explored how Pennsylvania could fix this—not by reinventing IDEA, but by reimagining it through existing state systems.
A Blueprint for Pennsylvania
We don’t have to start from scratch. Pennsylvania already has the tools and funding structures to make parent and educator training a requirement tied to student and teacher well-being.
Consider these existing frameworks:
- Act 55 and the School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) have already embedded mental health as a statewide priority.
- The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) distributes millions each year through School Safety and Mental Health Grants, funding trauma-informed care and professional development.
So, what if we braided these efforts together?
Imagine a state policy that:
- Amends the Public School Code to require annual parent training connected directly to IEP goals, mental health, and transition planning.
- Requires PDE oversight—districts would report data on attendance, content, and outcomes as part of their Comprehensive Plans.
- Dedicates a protected percentage of state mental health or safety funds to support both staff and parent training.
- Partners with Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) to deliver high-quality, evidence-based sessions statewide.
That’s not theory—it’s possible right now.
Barriers Are Real But So Are Opportunities
I’m not naïve about the challenges. Districts are stretched thin. Teachers are exhausted. And funding conversations can feel like a constant uphill climb.
But the data speak loudly. The 2024 State of Education Report found that two-thirds of Pennsylvania school leaders identified student mental health as their number one concern. Educators are facing increasing burnout and secondary trauma. Families are struggling to access mental health supports.
The opportunity before us is to stop treating these as separate issues. Parent and teacher training can—and should—be part of the same conversation. When families understand how to reinforce emotional regulation strategies at home, and teachers have the skills and support to implement trauma-informed practices in classrooms, everyone wins.
Implementing With Fidelity: From Mandate to Movement
Through my EPLC experience, I’ve learned that meaningful policy isn’t about creating more rules—it’s about breathing life into the ones we already have. The IDEA’s parent counseling and training provision doesn’t need to be rewritten; it needs to be respected.
If that federal safeguard ever disappeared, I believe Pennsylvania could—and should—step forward. We could lead the nation by codifying this training at the state level, ensuring it’s measured, funded, and implemented as a standard of educational practice rather than an afterthought.
Because when we teach families how to help their children regulate emotions, when we train teachers to protect their own mental health, and when we align those efforts under one coordinated system, we do more than comply with the law.
We create a culture of care.
Conclusion
If IDEA’s parent counseling and training provision were weakened tomorrow, I would fight to see it reborn here in Pennsylvania—not as a checkbox, but as a living, breathing standard of what inclusive education looks like.
We have the infrastructure. We have the data. What we need now is the will to act.
Because every teacher deserves support.
Every parent deserves training.
And every child deserves a system built on connection, not compliance.
References
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004).
34 C.F.R. § 300.34(c)(8) (Parent counseling and training).
Act 55 of 2022, Pennsylvania School Code.
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. (2024). FY24–25 School Safety and Mental Health Grants.
Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC). (2024). Education Policy Fellowship Program.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association. (2024). State of Education Report 2024.
