A mediation strategy for special education disputes

The use of mediation in the resolution of disputes is not new to American s ociety. It is new, however, in the realm of special education as a strategy for problem solving before a disagreement between parents and a school dis trict escalates to the point of necessitating a due process hearing. As a r esult of the IDEA Amendments of 1997, mediations are now required to be off ered as interventions in every state. Missouri, ahead of the regulation, be gan offering mediations in the fall of 1996. It is the purpose of this arti cle to discuss: the successes and challenges associated with mediations as they have occurred because of their brief history in Missouri, with a point ed examination of four specific cases.