The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

There is a growing body of evidence that parent involvement results in improved outcomes for ALL students regardless of the socio-economic status or other risk factors for school success. We know that educators and families working together sets the groundwork for the most positive education outcomes. For students with disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that parents and schools work together in many aspects of their child’s education plan in order to provide Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to the child.

Creating a real partnership can be challenging for educators and families alike and takes creative and sustained effort. We are not necessarily taught in education coursework how to engage and work together with parents. As educators, we are always juggling time and resources and balancing the extra needs of students with disabilities and those of students without disabilities. Conversely, parents also have many competing needs related to the overall care of their child(ren) and can feel both excluded and unprepared to participate in many aspects of the education process.

Learning to be partners in education is much like learning to dance with a partner. There is much work and practice involved. It takes time to get the rhythm of the other dancer and toes can and do get stepped on in the process. It is not instant or automatic togetherness – it grows, evolves and changes over time. It is different with each partner – you need to take the time to hear and understand each person and how they learn and communicate best. It takes communication, feedback about what is working and not working and what needs to change. Trust and learning from each other takes time – we must remember that we are both doing the best we can. We need to ask questions, speak up, take a break, aim high and be kind to each other and yourself in the process.

This interactive session provides a framework for school-family partnership and offers several models of partnership and support to consider when schools are looking to better engage families and families want to increase and improve their participation in their child's education process. Lessons from the field are discussed and a variety of suggestions and ideas are presented for creating successful school-family partnership. Participants will have opportunities to share what they are currently doing in their school and will build a plan for improved school-family collaboration for the benefit of students, especially those with or at risk of disabilities.

Objectives

1. Participants will identify 2 components of successful parent school partnerships.
2. Participants will learn 3 ways how the parents’ perspective impacts partnering with schools.
3. Participants will identify ways that supporting parent school partnerships enhance the child’s educational success and strategies to support parents’ school involvement.