What are best Practices for Collaboration between Schools and Families? Prepared by: Lea D. Camacho What is Collaboration? What is Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers? I. INCREASING STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Some ways in which student participation can be enhanced include the following: Ensuring parents know their child is invited to attend and participate Providing students with background knowledge concerning the IEP and the process, as well as training in skills for participating. Focusing on student strengths, gifts, and talents rather than only on skill or knowledge deficits. Increasing student responsibility for developing and implementing their plans Involving peers and community members who are supportive of the student. II. Increasing Family Involvement Fidler, Simpson and Clark (2007) identified four levels of parent and family participation. Each level builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in the previous levels of involvement. Awareness, attendance and basic participation Ongoing communication, information sharing and basic program involvement Advocacy and collaborative program involvement Collaboration And Partnership Participation Increasing Sibling involvement Sibling of students with disabilities can be affected on both positive ways such as learning advocacy and empathy skills and in negative ways such as hearing negative comments about their sibling Conflict Management Conflict may arise from parent’s feelings of anger that merge from feeling fear, hurt, frustration or sense of injustice. Parents may be afraid of the future or the implications of a diagnosis of disability. Increasing Involvement of Diverse Families Teachers should find working with diverse families interesting and rewarding. Fried & Cook, (2000) and Callicott (2003) provide these suggestions for teacher working with linguistically diverse family. Use culturally responsive feedback and method communication Show appreciation for include cultural diversity in the curriculum and school activities Ensure that policies, procedures and activities are in place to reduce the likelihood of prejudice.

1. What are best Practices for
Collaboration between
Schools and Families?
Prepared by:
Lea D. Camacho

2. What
is
Collaboration?

3. What is Parent Training and
Information Centers and
Community Parent Resource
Centers?

4. I. INCREASING
STUDENT
INVOLVEMENT

5. Some ways in which student
participation can be
enhanced include the
following:

6. • Ensuring parents know their
child is invited to attend and
participate

7. • Providing students with
background knowledge
concerning the IEP and the
process, as well as training in
skills for participating.

8. • Focusing on student strengths,
gifts, and talents rather than only on
skill or knowledge deficits.

9. • Increasing student
responsibility for developing
and implementing their plans

10. • Involving peers and community
members who are supportive of
the student.

11. II. Increasing
Family
Involvement

12. Fidler, Simpson and Clark (2007)
identified four levels of parent
and family participation. Each
level builds on the skills and
knowledge acquired in the
previous levels of involvement.

13. Awareness, attendance and basic
participation

14. • Ongoing communication,
information sharing and basic
program involvement

15. • Advocacy and collaborative
program involvement

16. • Collaboration And Partnership
Participation

17. Increasing Sibling involvement

18. • Sibling of students with disabilities
can be affected on both positive
ways such as learning advocacy
and empathy skills and in negative
ways such as hearing negative
comments about their sibling

19. Conflict Management

20. • Conflict may arise from parent’s
feelings of anger that merge from
feeling fear, hurt, frustration or
sense of injustice. Parents may be
afraid of the future or the
implications of a diagnosis of
disability.

21. Increasing Involvement of
Diverse Families

22. • Teachers should find working with
diverse families interesting and
rewarding. Fried & Cook, (2000) and
Callicott (2003) provide these
suggestions for teacher working
with linguistically diverse family.

23. • Use culturally responsive feedback
and method communication

24. • Show appreciation for include
cultural diversity in the curriculum
and school activities

25. • Ensure that policies, procedures
and activities are in place to reduce
the likelihood of prejudice.