BOOK REVIEW: EMPOWERED by Jennifer Oneal Price

EmpowerEd: Using Real Case Examples to Look Deeper into IEP Management

Jennifer Oneal Price

Law Office of Jennifer O. Price

October 2019

Jennifer O. Price

SUMMARY (from the publisher)
This book outlines the progressive steps taken to address the educational needs of an exceptional child. From the Child Find process to filing a Due Process complaint, courts have addressed many legal issues. This book goes through court cases on some key issues from 2018 with an included workbook-style composition section after the cases. Parents and educational advocates will be able to read the cases and use the Thought Questions and composition space to take notes to better analyze their own case and advocate for their child's educational rights. Case Topics include:• Child Find• Evaluation Methodologies• Weighing Experts’ Credibility at Hearings• Attorney Fees• Bullying• “Meaningful Benefit” after Endrew F.Parents, caregivers, and educational advocates could all benefit from this resource book.

REVIEW
Author Jennifer Oneal Price is a mother and an attorney. She wrote EmpowerEd: Using Real Case Examples to Look Deeper Into IEP Management to help parents navigate the confusing and sometimes overwhelming world of special education in the traditional public school system.

When parents attend IEP meetings for their children, they often feel outnumbered by the school’s representatives. Although the intent of an IEP meeting is to come together and discuss how to best help the child, that’s not always how it feels, especially when the outcome proves dissatisfying.

This book is an excellent resource for parents who are advocating for special-needs children. It’s concise, well-organized, and straightforward. It delivers expert information backed up by legal verdicts, which is just what you need when dealing with a confusing, circuitous system.

The content begins with the first four steps in acquiring special education services. Each step is buttressed by real-life court cases that help parents to see themselves in the role of advocate. At the end of each step, the author has included thought questions, which guide parents toward customizing the information for their own families.

The book also covers special topics such as Exhaustion, bullying, and the benchmark Endrew case, which has changed the way parents and educators look at special education.

I appreciate the professional tone of the book because that’s the tone parents must adopt when advocating for their children. It’s so easy to get emotional when you feel that your child has been mistreated or neglected, but showing that frustration will not help. By guiding parents through a rational, legal-based discussion about procedures, testing, appeals, and so forth, Jennifer Oneal Price does more than just present important information. She models the way parents should approach the system.