Normative Influence On Ieps In Schools

In schools all around the U.S, there are teachers who do not follow certain regulations. The biggest problem is when they refuse to follow IEPs. Following IEPs harms the student and the school. The use of conformity and obedience would surly help in increase the amount of IEP compliance. An Individualized Education Program, or IEP, is a set of instructions tailored to a child with a disability so that he or she can receive accommodation to aid in his or her education. According to the NCES, in the years 2003 and 2004- it was found that 56.85% of schools in PA had at least one student with an IEP. This would then increase to 99.4% by 2007-2008 (NECS). With so many students requiring an IEP, it is important for teachers to follow these guidelines …show more content…
Normative influence deals with people conforming because they fear punishment. Now, one use of this has already been mentioned: suing. Lawsuits are an effective way to punish schools for not conforming to IEP rules. Scare tactics of getting sued can be an effective way to ensure that IEPs are enforced. However, this can have negative results. The fear of being sued can cause teachers to not take disciplinary actions against disruptive students. It cause the relationship between parent and teacher to be very strained (Hopkins.) There is also the option of paying the schools more. This is an example of social power and deals with social power. This can be considered either a reward or being coercive (King.) However, it has been shown that paying schools for grades just raises the grades and not overall teacher performance. Not to mention it also takes attention away from subjects that are not tested for, such as social studies or art (fairtest.) However, individual rewards could be given to teachers to follow IEPS. The teacher could receive bonuses for following IEPs or special recognition. This is an example of public conformity or compliance. Teachers may not have changed their beliefs, but they are altering their behavior (Fein et al. 259.) The IEP is not being followed for the right reason, but at least the student receives accommodations. This would also mean that the student’s performance improves and …show more content…
According to Sherif, people conform with others as they think others are right (Fein et al 257.) Teacher may already be conforming, but conforming to the wrong thing. According to Cortiella and Horowitz, the public has a very large misconception on people with learning disabilities (7.) Two third of the people interviewed do not know about conditions such as dysgraphia (deficient in writing), dyscalculia (deficient in math), and dyspraxia (deficient in coordination) at all (4 & 7). 43% of the people wrongly associate learning disabilities with I.Q. Up to one third of the people incorrectly think that such condition are caused by things such as watching too much TV, poor diet, or vaccinations. Another third believe “a lack of early childhood parent/ teacher involvement” can cause a child to develop a learning disability. While 83% do correctly cite early treatment, half who answered incorrectly referred to medication and mental health counselling. 55% wrongly thought that corrective eyewear could fix learning disabilities (7-8.) In short, the public has a very inaccurate perception on learning disabilities. Does the wrong information of the public impact schools? Indeed it does. Almost half of learning disabled children are bullied and “over one-third (37 percent) of parents say their child’s school inadequately tests for learning disabilities” (Cortiella and Horowitz 8.) Even worse, 64% of the parents say that their