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Exceptional Parent Magazine (June 21, 2003)
Goal Mine, 5th Edition
We first reviewed Don and Maureen Cahill’s book, “The Goal Mine” in 1998. We said then “parents of children with special needs must learn to navigate through many different service systems while raising our children. For most parents the school system provides the greatest challenge and requires the most effort. Federal and state laws protect the educational rights of children with special needs. But these laws are enforced through a procedural maze most parents find to be complex and unfriendly.” That remains true to this day. We also said then that the Cahill’s book “gently but effectively guide parents through the special education maze, empowering them to be strong advocates for their children’s needs. … [The Cahill’s] breathe life and understanding into the core element -- goals and objectives -- of all IEP’s.” We are more convinced than ever that goals and objectives are the centerpiece of the Individualized Educational Plan [IEP]. A student’s very survival in the school environment is defined and measured by those goals and objectives identified by the IEP Team. Parents continue to be overwhelmed at the scope and importance of defining good goals, and frequently find themselves at the mercy of educators and professionals when the time comes to sit down and address their child’s needs in the formal IEP setting. The Cahill’s Goal Mine remains the most used tool in our IEP briefcase. The Goal Mine permits parents to better understand and prepare for the IEP Team process of charting their child’s needs and progress. A parent who has the Goal Mine is better equipped to be a proactive participant in formulating strong IEPs. The Cahill’s offer more than 6,000 goals and objectives that cross environment, learning area, and disability. Parents seeking to improve their child’s socialization skills will discover 45 separate objectives that contribute to social skill development. If the student’s challenge is to improve the duration of his attention span, Goal Mine offers 41 different objectives. A parent seeking to improve their child’s 8th grade reading skills will find 46 separate objectives for that goal. The Goal Mine, Fifth Edition significantly expands on all the positive things we found in the Third Addition. The Cahills, however, have not been content to leave the book substance static. The Fifth Edition is beefed up with new sections that provide a more comprehensive explanation of using tests as a measurement of learning. This section not only explains the different types and sources of testing materials, but arms parents with the pros and cons of each method to better allow parents to evaluate whether a proposed testing method actually will produce a result that is meaningful for their child’s performance. The Cahill’s also have added a section, the Parent Advocate, that encourages parents to believe and act on their strength as parents, and gives strategies that permit parents to become more forceful and effective advocates for their children. The Goal Mine now numbers 328 pages and no longer is spiral bound. We continue to be amazed at the number of teachers and educational professionals who have found the book to be an invaluable resource for them in their work. We use our Goal Mine every day and could not imagine being without it. We enthusiastically award the Exceptional Parent Magazine Symbol of Excellence to the Goal Mine and strongly urge all parents to add it to their advocacy arsenal. We use Goal Mine in our work every day.
... Tricia Luker and Calvin Luker, Book Reviewers for Exceptional Parent Magazine |
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