Parent/Teacher Partnerships That Enhance Student Achievement

Parents wonder about how their child navigates the school day. Teachers wonder about the needs of their students. Knowledge can replace wondering when parents and teachers have an effective communication plan in place. Participants will analyze their current communication model and will create an individualized communication strategy that will support and enhance student achievement (forms provided). Parents of children on the autism spectrum rarely receive formal training on how to maneuver through the educational world. At best, they can search online for advice or be fortunate enough to employ the services of a community advocate. When parents anticipate their child’s education, they think about traditions: parent conferences, treats for the class, report cards, school plays. Parents of children with special needs encounter a twist on tradition. The IEP process is unfamiliar and consuming, and it tends to attract the bulk of the parents’ attention. In its wake, the day-to-day parent/teacher communication that supports the child can sometimes be minimized or trivialized.

Teachers receive thorough training on the IEP process while pursuing a special education degree, yet the subject of parent/teacher relationships often garners only a cursory review. It is only when the teacher is in the classroom that he/she begins to understand the true impact of this important relationship.

Effective, regular parent/teacher communication is a means of increasing the likelihood of student success (Montgomery, 2005).  When considering a student with special needs, the importance of an effective parent/teacher relationship is magnified. Although the relationship has been created by law through IDEA where both are the child’s team members, parents and teachers might not fully understand how to maintain a regular relationship that benefits the child.

The intensity of ASD makes demands on parents and teachers. Silva and Schalock (2012) found that stress is four times greater for parents with a child in the autism spectrum as compared to parenting typical children; and it is twice as stressful to parent a child with autism as compared to other developmental delays.  Teachers experience more job-related stress than other professionals; and special educators leave the field in greater numbers than general educators because of stress (Williams and Poel, 2006). With this in mind, both the parent and the teacher can be supports for one another as they strive for a sturdy relationship.

Parent/teacher communication is as individual as the child, yet core requisites need to be met. No longer do parents and teachers have to hope that a hit-or-miss method will create teamwork. The relationship can be intentionally built and made to custom fit the parent and teacher.

The teaching tools (handouts) consist of:

1. Parental Guidelines for Communicating with Teachers
2. Teacher Guidelines for Communicating with Parents
3. Evaluation of Current Parent/Teacher Communication Methods
4. A Model for Effective Parent/Teacher Communication
5.  Individualized Communication Strategy

Successful parent/teacher communication can be planned and methodical within the array of different settings and personality styles. No one has to hope for the relationship to click or be disappointed if the “click” does not happen. Planned, effective communication between the parent and teacher supports the best possible learning environment for the student. In this information age, parents and teachers can tap into multiple communication options; but the best plan is to have a plan.

REFERENCES

Montgomery, D. (2005). Communicating without harm: Strategies to enhance parent-teacher communication. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(5), 50-55.

Silva, L. & Schalock, M. (2012). Autism parenting stress index: Initial psychometric evidence. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(4), 566-574.

Williams, K. & Poel, E. (2006). Stress management for special educators: The self-administered tool for awareness and  relaxation (STAR). Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 3(1), 2.