Topic: The presentation is based on a bigger study concerning the quality of work for students with needs of special education and interdisciplinary work in Norway and USA. This part will be dealing with parent involvement in the education of children with disabilities. Another word that is used in combination with parent involvement is user participation. Here user participation and parent involvement is defined as the influence patent has in the decision process forming offers and training for their children. This understanding means that parent has to take an active role in their children's treatment and learning process. This may be understood as an argument to secure the quality of offers, and a way to improve and legitimate parents as partners in the working process. Parent is often given several roles in the interaction between school and other agency. This is among others: consumer, partner, lawyer, watchdog and so on. This study will tray to find some commonalities and differences in parent participation and involvement in Norway and USA. This is a challenging task because of the two countries difference in political, economic and cultural system. That is why it is hard to make judgement and recommendations. Studies like this leave us informed, but also impotent to act or draw significant conclusions (Mazurek & Winzer 1994). My opinion is, however, that it is possible to describe situations, create narratives and construct some understanding and explanations about the phenomenon.Theories: To describe and understand parent involvement and influence in the decision process concerning children's school life, several theoretical paradigms will be used. Some of the paradigms or concepts are: system approach / socio- cultural ecology (Bromfennbrenner 1979, empowerment (Croft & Beresford 1989), communications in and outside interdisciplinary groups (Habermas1997). Research question: How does parent involvement work? How does parent think about the cooperation between school, other agencies and themselves, and how do teachers consider the same questions? What are commonalities and differences in parent participation and involvement in Norway and USA? If it is any difference, how can it be explained?Case studies and quality methods are used. First some children with special education- and other services needs were chosen. Then quality interviews were taken with parents, teachers and headmasters. Observations of interdisciplinary groups with parents, teachers and other professionals were also used.In both countries parents with disabled children are more involved in the learning process than parents with ordinary children. Some of the parents are quite satisfied with the cooperation between teachers and other agencies, but most of them are not so pleased. Teachers are working mostly alone: assessing, planning, carrying out and evaluating the training. This is perhaps more usual in Norway than in USA. In the interdisciplinary groups parents are informants more than real partners. Parent participation may in some way look like an alibi for the demand of participation. Parents do not participate as equal partners. In both countries some of the parents are afraid that teachers in some way or another may punish their children if they criticize the teachers work. In USA there is more acceptation for sending children out of class than in Norway.Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, Massachusetts, London: Harvard University Press. Croft, S. & Beresford, P. (1989). User - involvement, Citizenship and Social Policy. CriticalSocial Policy, 9 (2). Habermas, J. (1997). Teorien om den kommunikative handlen. Aalborg: Universitetsforlag.Mazurek K. & Winzer M. A. (1994). Comparative studies in special education. Washington. DC.: Gallaudet Press. European Educational Research Journal