(c) allyn & bacon 2004copyright © allyn and bacon 2004 chapter three home-school collaboration:...

(c) Allyn & Bacon 2004Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2004

Chapter Three

Home-School Collaboration:

Working with Families

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Introduction

Prior to PL 94-142, many schools did not encourage parents of children with special needs to participate in the education of their children.

Federal law established the role of parents of students with special needs through the passage of PL 94-142.


IDEA Requirements for Parental Involvement Involve parents in

decision-making activities.

Inform parents of impending actions.

Provide parents with information in a form they can readily understand.

Make available due process rights to parents.

Enable parents to request a due-process hearing if there is a disagreement that cannot be resolved with school personnel.


Definition of Family Support

Family support is an intervention model that provides services for the entire family of a

child who has a disability.


Six Categories of Family Support Principles Enhancing a Sense

of Community Mobilizing

Resources and Supports

Protecting Family Integrity

Strengthening Family Functioning

Shared Responsibility and Collaboration

Proactive Human Service Practices


Areas in Which Family Participation

Should Occur

Student Assessment IEP Involvement with Parent Groups Observation in the School

Setting Communication with Educators


What is a Family?

Traditional View: - A family is a group of individuals who live together including a mother, a father, and one or more children

Contemporary View:

This view recognizes that numerous family arrangements exist.


Cultural Considerations

Teachers must be sensitive to the background of their students to ensure that cultural differences do not interfere with school-family relationships.

School personnel should also put aside preconceived notions about various lifestyles.

A family systems perspective is needed to enhance a child’s educational program.


Families and Children with Disabilities The arrival of a child results in changes in family

structure and dynamics; the arrival of a child with a disabilities exacerbates these challenges.

In addition to financial and emotional issues, other critical problems facing families include: Expensive medical treatment Expensive equipment Recurring crisis situations Stress on marriages Limited respite care services


Various Reactions Families May Have When Learning Their Child Has a Disability

Denial Anger Grief Fear Guilt

Confusion Powerlessness Disappointment Acceptance

Although these reactions are common ones, school personnel should keep in mind that parents are very different in the ways they respond when learning that their child has a disability.


Stage Theory Approach to

Parental Reactions

Parental responses to learning that their child has a disability rarely follow any formal stage process.


How School Staff

Can Help Parents

Be aware of the reactions parents may have when they learn their child has a disability.

Help parents understand the nature and needs of their child’s disability.


What Parents Want and Need

from School Professionals To communicate without jargon or to

have terms explained To have conferences scheduled to

enable both parents to attend To receive written materials that

provide information that will assist them in understanding their child’s problems


What Parents Want and Need

from School Professionals To receive a copy of a written report about

their child To receive specific advice on how to

manage the specific behavior problems of their child or how to teach them needed skills

To receive information regarding their child’s social as well as academic behavior


Parents’ Views on

Inclusion Some parents

(e.g., Learning Disabilities Association) have remained cautious about inclusion.

Other parents (e.g., the Arc) have actively favored inclusion.

Teachers should be sensitive to the fact that parents may have quite different views regarding inclusive practices.


Involvement of Fathers

The involvement of the entire family should be the primary goal.

Often, the father is left out of the planning process.

Children often do better in school if fathers are involved.


Involvement of Siblings

Siblings are important in developing and implementing educational programs.

Some siblings may experience adjustment problems related to their sibling’s disability.


Needs of Siblings

Need for information about their sibling’s disability

Need to address feelings of isolation Need to address feelings of guilt Need to address feelings of resentment Need to address perceived pressure to

achieve Need to address caregiving demands Need to address their role in their

sibling’s future


Needs of Siblings

Sibling Support Groups can be helpful. Additional Suggestions:

Inform siblings about the nature and cause of the disability.

Involve siblings in conferences with school personnel.

Openly discuss the disability with all family members.


Parent Education

Parent education classes may be very helpful.

Seeing that other parents face similar challenges can be comforting and empowering.


Home-School Collaboration

School personnel should: Be actively involved with

families/parents. Recognize that parents vary

tremendously in knowledge and expertise

Consider parental advice; parents know their children very well


Communicating with Parents

Many teachers are not prepared to work with parents.

Poor communication may cause many problems that could be avoided.


Principles of Effective Communication

Accept Listen Question Encourage

Stay directed Develop an

alliance Avoid

defensiveness

Effective communication must be regular and useful.


Types of School-Home Communication

Informal Exchanges

Parent Observations

Telephone Calls

Written Notes Home Visits Formal

Meetings


Types of Formal Meetings

IEP Meetings IFSP Meetings Individual Transition Plan

Meetings Behavior Intervention

Plan Meetings


IEP Meetings

Reasons why parents need to be involved in IEP meetings:

IDEA requires it.

Most importantly, the input of parents is critical.


IEP Meetings: Helpful Hints Hold conferences

in a small location free from distraction.

Start conferences on time and maintain the schedule.

Arrange the schedule so that participants are comfortable.

Present information clearly, concisely, and in a way parents can understand.


IFSP Meetings

Agencies serving young children with disabilities must develop an Individual Family Service Plan as required by PL 994-457. This requirement is based on the assumption

that families cannot be effective in a child’s intervention program if their own needs are not being met.

The IFSP takes family needs (e.g., respite care, transportation) into consideration and provides strategies that can address some of the family needs while providing services to their child.


Mediation

Conflicts between school personnel and parents are inevitable at times.

A helpful procedure that many states and local education agencies use to resolve these conflicts is mediation.

In mediation, both parties share their concerns and work to develop a mutually-agreeable solution, typically through the facilitation of a third party.


Cross-Cultural Suggestions for Teachers

Identify the cultural values that influence your own interpretation of a student’s needs.

Find out if the family recognizes and values your assumptions.

Acknowledge and give explicit respect to cultural differences.

Determine the most effective ways of adapting your professional recommendations to the family’s value system.


What Do Parents Want?What Parents Want for Their Children…Personal and Social AdjustmentAccommodations and AdaptationsResponsibility and IndependenceAcademic and Functional Literacy Supportive Environment What Parents Expect of Teachers…

Personal Characteristics Accountability and Instructional SkillsManagement Skills Communication

What Parents Expect of Schools…Responsibility and IndependenceAcademic and Functional Literacy Supportive Environment


Home-Based InterventionsFamilies can become involved in the education of their child with a disability through home-based intervention.For preschool children, involvement is fairly common.For older students, parents typically are less involved.

Ways Parents and Other Family Members Can Get Involved:

Providing Reinforcement

Providing Direct Instructional

Support Providing Homework Support


Providing Reinforcement and Encouragement The failure cycle of students with disabilities is

difficult to break. Reinforcing success is an important strategy to

interrupt this failure cycle. In contrast to school personnel, parents are in an

excellent position to provide reinforcement in areas such as: Toys Money Friends Trips


Examples of Home-School Contingencies

Daily Report Cards

Passports


Providing Instructional Support for Older Children Students may need more

assistance at home as they progress through the grades.

Older children may resist parental attempts to assist. Parents should endeavor, however,

to remain involved at an appropriate level with their older children.


Reasons for Expanding the Role of Parents in Educating their Children

Parents are the first and most important teachers of their children.

The home is the child’s first schoolhouse. Children will learn more during the early

years than at any other time in life. All parents want to be good parents and

care about their child’s development.


Home Tutoring Programs

STEPS Step 1: Parents and teachers discuss the area in which home

tutoring will be most helpful. Step 2: Family members implement home tutoring

procedures. Step 3: Family members who provide tutoring use techniques

for encouragement, reinforcement, and error correction. Step 4: Family members complete the tutoring session and

make a record of the student’s accomplishments. LENGTH OF TIME

Tutoring periods should be no longer than 15 minutes. USING A VISUAL CHART

Use a visual chart so the child can see his or her progress.


Providing Homework Support

Homework is often the most continually problematic area relative to home-school collaboration.

Often homework issues are plagued by communication problems between home and school, particularly when failure becomes evident.

Types of communication problems reported by general education teachers:

Lack of follow-through by parents Lateness of communication Lack of importance placed on homework Parental defensiveness Denial of problems


Homework Recommendations

General educators and parents need to take an active role in monitoring and communicating with students about homework.

Schools should provide teachers with the time needed to engage in regular communication with parents and provide students with increased opportunities to complete homework after school.

Teachers need to take advantage of technological innovations such as homework hotlines, computerized student progress records.

Students need to be held responsible for keeping up with their homework.


Components of One Successful Homework Program (Callahan et al., 1998)

Parent Training Sessions

Student Training Systematic

Homework Procedures

Self-Management Strategies

Home- and School-Based Positive Reinforcement Programs


Important Considerations for Teachers

Sometimes even the best of parents fail at their daily responsibilities to check their child’s homework.

Homework may be a low priority for families when compared with other issues (e.g., family illness, school attendance).

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