Collaborating with Parents and Families in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Society EXED 200

Support for Family Involvement Parents and families are natural and necessary allies to educators Families know certain aspects of their children better than anyone Parents can provide extra skill practice and teach their children new skills in the home and community Family is the most powerful an pervasive influence in a young child’s life. Parents know their child better than anyone else. Long before the child comes to school, they have been taught by their parents. In a parents mind, no one will ever love and care about their child as much as they do. Parents are with their child when you are not so they can enhance the skills the child is learning in school 3-2

Support for Family Involvement (continued) Parents have the greatest vested interest in seeing their children learn as they are the constant in the child’s life Parents must live with the outcomes of decisions made by IEP teams all day, every day

Three Factors Responsible for Increased Emphasis on Family Involvement Parents want to be involved in their child’s education Parents were an important catalyst of PL 94-142 Educational effectiveness is enhanced when parents and families are involved Repeated research and practice demonstrates the benefits The law requires collaboration The law requires In both IDEA and NCLB, parent involvement is a key component to students’ academic success 3-4

Benefits of Family Involvement Increased likelihood of targeting meaningful IEP goals Greater consistency and support in the child’s two most important environments Increased opportunities for learning and development Greater access to expanded resources and services 3-5

Understanding Families of Children with Disabilities Adjustment process includes feelings of: Shock, denial, and disbelief Anger, guilt, depression, shame, lowered self- esteem, rejection of the child, and overprotectiveness Acceptance, adaptation, and appreciation Educators should refrain from expecting parents to exhibit any kind of typical reaction 3-6

The Resilience Model The Resilience Model is based on the following: Parents and family members are the best source of knowledge about their child, their own strengths and needs. Parents’resilience may not be immediately appreciable but should be identified and supported. Parents are engaged in a continuous adjustment process that can be facilitated by sensitive and caring professionals. 3-7

The Five Stage Resilience Model Stage One Identification of Disability Stage Two Self-education Stage Three Reflection about Self and Family Stage Four Advocacy and Empowerment Stage Five Appreciation and Enlightenment 3-8

The Many Roles of the Exceptional Parent Caregiver - Additional needs of an exceptional child can cause stress Provider - Additional needs often create a financial burden Teacher - Exceptional children often need more teaching to acquire skills Counselor - Must often help their child cope with the disability 3-9

The Many Roles of the Exceptional Parent (cont.) Behavior Support Specialist - Some have to become skilled behavior managers Parent of Siblings Without Disabilities - Meet the needs of their other children too Marriage Partner - Having a child with disabilities can put stress on a marriage Information Specialist - Must ensure that others appropriately support their child’s dignity and acceptance Advocate - Advocate for effective educational services and opportunities 3-10

Principles of Effective Communication Accept parents’ statements Respect parents’ point of view Listen actively Respond to parents with interest and animation Question effectively Speak plainly and use open-ended questions Encourage Describe and show parents their child’s improving performance Stay focused Focus on the child’s educational program and progress 3-11

Roadblocks to Communication Treating parents as vulnerable clients instead of equal partners Keeping professional distance Treating parents as if they need counseling Blaming parents for their child’s disability Disrespecting parents as less intelligent Treating parents as adversaries Labeling parents 3-12

Conflict Resolution Dialoging is an approach to conflict resolution in which both parties try to see each other’s point of view. The RERUN approach include Reflect Acknowledge the other person’s thinking or feelings Explain Explain your perspective concisely Reason Explain the reason you believe or feel as you do Understand Try to understand the situation from both points of view Negotiate Brainstorm to find a mutually satisfying solution 3-13

Portrait of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families Many are English-language learners Many live in low-income and poverty Although some have not finished school or cannot read, they are “life educated” and know their child Undocumented immigrants are naturally fearful of interaction with anyone representing authority The number of English language learners is rising from 97/98 – 2008-09 51% increase compared to the general population growth of students by 7.2% The inability to understand the language of school is a major deterrent to parents who do not have English proficiency Limited English proficiency can hinder school/home communication Teaming is counter to some cultures (Hispanics) These parents still know their child better than you as the educator By law children are not a suspect class under the regulations of Office of Immigration and Naturalization Services 3-14

Portrait of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families Many tend to be family-oriented Some may have different experiences with and views about disability including causes and treatment Many had negative educational experiences that persist through adulthood The general and special education systems may be intimidating to the family Multi-generations living together and parenting – it is important to understand how the culture views individuals with disabilities Different views and experiences – carrying students with physical disabilities in Egypt Some cultures put professionals on a pedestal and believe that they are the expert and therefore should not question

Culturally Responsive Services for Families Have native-speaking staff members make initial contacts Provide trained, culturally sensitive interpreters during parent-teacher conferences and IEP/IFSP meetings When a language interpreter is not available, use a cultural interpreter whenever possible for conferences and family interviews Conduct meetings in family-friendly settings In order to increase the participation of individuals from other cultures we as educators can do a number of different things. 3-16

Culturally Responsive Services for Families (continued) Identify and defer to key decision makers in the family Recognize that families from diverse cultures may view time differently from the way some professionals do, and schedule meetings accordingly Provide transportation and child care to make it easier for families to attend school-based activities Work toward cultural reciprocity Cultural reciprocity – understanding how different values and belief systems may influence families’ perspectives, wishes and decisions. Educators must recognize our own cultural beliefs and see how differences between our own perspectives and those of people from other cultures and ethnic groups You need to take the time to build bridges

Home-School Communication Methods Parent-teacher conferences Preparing for the conference Establish objectives Review records of the student’s recent grades Select examples of the student’s work Prepare a graph or chart showing cumulative progress Prepare an agenda for the meeting Conducting the conference Build rapport Obtain information Provide information Summarize and follow up There is always parent teacher conferences however these can be intimidating for some parents – make sure you take time to build rapport with your parents, ask if the parents have any information they would like to share, provide information about the child (concrete and jargon free, share examples of student work and discuss ways to make improvements, and finally summarize and follow up on all that was discussed 3-18

Home-School Communication Methods Written communication Happy Grams and Special Accomplishment Letters Two-Way Home-School Reporting forms Dialogue notebooks Home-School Contracts Class Newsletters and Websites Telephone communication Phone Calls Voice Mail Email and Text Messaging I can not stress enough the importance of home-school communication You want to make sure you are not just communicating the negative things but also positive items Never rely on written messages as the sole method of communication – make sure that the material that is written is on a 4th grade reading level Two way reporting forms should be simple to use – the goal is to get the parent involved 3-19

Other Forms of Parent Involvement Parents as Tutors Systematically teach self-help and daily living skills to their children Parent Education and Support Groups Provide education for parenting Parent-to-Parent Groups Provide help to parents of children with special needs become reliable allies for one another Parents as Research Partners Assist researchers in knowing if their ideas and findings have validity Home based tutoring can enhance a child's educational progress and give enjoyment to both child and parent. In order to be successful sessions must be kept short, the experience must be positive and there must be frequent opportunities for the child to respond, parent responses to the child must be consistent, tutoring should be to practice and extend skills already learned in school and finally keep a record of progress 3-20

Video “Dr. Rudy Crew…” “Parent Involvement Matters!” 1. What did you learn about parent involvement?