2. Family-School Definition
Integrates 2 systems: School and Family
Can span 13+ years
“Like a marriage with no possibility of divorce”
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
5. Barriers for School staff
Mixed feelings about family involvement
Fear of conflict
Stereotypic beliefs about families
Lack of time/funding
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
6. Barriers for Families
Feelings of intimidation and powerlessness
Lack of trust
Language and cultural differences
Past negative experiences
Economic, social and time constraints
Convinced that “professionals know best”
7. Barriers to Partnerships
Differences in family-educator
perspectives
Lack of trust
Meeting lack structure, rushed, and
scheduled at inconvenient times
8. Build Shared Responsibilities
Training for all members of the team
Regular communication between home and school
Outreach to encourage participation of diverse range
of parents
Opportunity for parents to participate in school
decision making
Meaningful roles for families
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
9. Improved IEP Meetings
The meeting starts and ends on time
No one dominates the meeting
There are introductions
There is an agenda and ground rules
People prepared /stay for the entire meeting
Team members are focused and on task
People LISTEN to each other
10. Tips for Families
Bring someone with you to meetings
Participate in developing meeting agendas
Know what the law says about your child’s rights
Bring your child to all or part of each meeting
Respect feelings and positions even when you disagree
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
11. Tips for Educators
Focus on strengths as well as needs
Paraphrase reports rather than reading them
Offer to meet with parents before the meeting
Avoid patronizing language
Respect feelings and positions even when you disagree
Presented by: Brent Daigle, Ph.D.
