Tips for School-Family Collaboration

Its common knowledge that families who participate, show interest, and are involved in their
childrens schooling see many positive educational benefits and outcomes for their students. Not
only does IDEA require that special education teachers, specialists, and administrators collaborate as a
team to make educational decisions, families who actively participate in their childrens special
education program reap many rewards, including a sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of
seeing their child grow and thrive in school, knowing that whatever challenges come up, they arent
alone.

Some of the best tips for school-family collaboration

come not from scholarly articles written by professors of
colleges and universities, but from educators and parents
who work in the trenches, who are raising children with
disabilities, participating on IEP teams, teaching in general
education and special education classroom, and volunteering
in schools across the country.

This article will focus mainly on tips for how to

successfully work with parents of special needs children,
beginning with a parents collaboration 8 tips for teachers.
These tips and suggestions for effective collaboration are
adapted from the articles and books listed on the Reference page of this website. For any questions,
please contact the author of this website using the email address provided on the contact page.

Tips, Tips, and More Tips

Successful School-Family Collaboration
1. Open up communication before a situation arises. That builds trust and sets
the parents mind at ease. It also sets the stage for working as partners on
the IEP team and for solving all kinds of challenges informally and effectively
(Jordan).

2. When opening up communication, always start with a compliment about the

child (Jordan).
3. Educate the parent. If you are helping parents understand their childs
disability, it is helpful to make sure they have access to plenty of information:
handouts, websites, reading materials or lists of reading recommendations
about the disability. Remember you are a professional with vital information
(Jordan).
4. Recognize the family is a constant in the childs life; caregivers and service
systems may come and go (Virtual Lab School).
5. Facilitate collaboration between families and professional (Virtual Lab
School).
6. Honor and respect family diversity in all dimensions, including cultural, racial,
ethnic, linguistic, spiritual, and socioeconomic. (Virtual Lab School).
7. Sharing unbiased and honest information with family members on an
ongoing basis (Virtual Lab School).
8. Working to acknowledge and include parent knowledge and expertise in
developing special education programs and making educational decisions for
that child. (Rosemary Hoff).

Things to consider when forming partnerships with families (Richert):

1. Listen to the parent as well as sharing with the parent.

2. Always remember the parent is the first and last expert on the child. No
one on the team knows the child as well as the parent.
3. Recognize that family members have had varying educational
backgrounds and may not know how to participate in their childs
education.
4. Realize that family dynamics influence a parents availability and
involvement. Issues such as changing work schedules, transportation,
number of children in the household, and custody arrangements may
be in play. Collaboration with parents should account for these
dynamics (with a non-judgmental attitude) so you account for family
constraints while problem solving for solutions.
5. Parent involvement tens to decrease in higher grades, but the need for
parent involvement doesnt. Teens are a vulnerable group as social and
developmental changes occur. Teachers reaching out to families can
help bring parents into the conversation with positive results.
10 Tips on How to Form Good Partnerships with Families (Friend et.al &
Richert):

1. Let go of judgments and preconceptions about families. Make them

your allies. Respect them and stay focused on helping their child.
2. Set an inviting tone during the beginning of the school year. Contact
families early in the year to introduce yourself. Share how important
their contributions are and your desire to partner with the over the year.
Focus on building good rapport before any problems crop up.
3. Make sure your families are informed well in advance of meetings.
4. Educate your families as needed about their role on the IEP team.
5. Contact the family at the first sign of concern. This shows you care and
respect their contribution.
6. Ask questions about the familys expectations for their child.
7. Encourage families to ask you questions about their child or how you
run your classroom. Make sure they know how to contact you if they
have any questions or concerns.
8. Co-create goals together. (If the student is old enough, you may want
to include him or her in goal setting as well). Include the family in
problem solving.
9. Dont judge the shortcomings of the familys involvement. Instead stay
focused on what will help the student be successful.
10. Encourage parents to collaborate with other families.

Celebrate Families!