Parent-School Partnerships – Making a Difference

Good morning and thank you. I’ve had the pleasure, frustration, stress and reward of teaching for 29 years. In that time I’ve learned th= at no matter how old the learner, his or her learning talents and challenges, or = the desired learning outcome …. Teaching is hard, and less successful, when done in isolation. I’d like to share with you s= ome of the lessons I’ve learned as an educator.

Children are born into families and communities. These families and communities have certain expectations for t= he roles and responsibilities that children will perform. How do children learn these expect= ations and learn how to meet those expectations successfully?

Children observe the roles and responsibilities of others, they attempt to duplicate the behaviors modeled= by others, they receive feedback that either encourages or discourages these behaviors, and children continue to refine their existing behaviors and add= ing new ones to their repertoire of behaviors.= Through differentiating the behaviors that appear common to people of certain ages and gender, children begin to develop an understanding of the expectations for people their ages and gender. Through closer observation of which behaviors elicit positive reactions and benefits and which elicit negative reactions and costs, children further fine-tune their understanding of the roles and responsibilities expected of them. From the ve= ry beginning of their existence children have learned by observing and modelin= g others’ behavior and through trial and error.

As children continue to grow and develo= p they reach the age for entry into school. Most schools are based on the dominant culture of their society therefore the expectations of roles and responsibilities, the rules of soci= al and learning behavior, the understanding of how children learn and how to t= each, the curricular goals and objectives, the learning materials and activities = all mirror the values and norms of the dominant society. Children who grew up in communities mirroring these values and norms, and expectations of roles and responsibilities have= an advantage as they have already begun to learn how to be successful in the school culture. These children understand the hidden rules. They have a foundation of knowledge and skills on which the school curriculum builds. T= hey observe the children in higher grade levels and the teachers to learn how to succeed. These children try new skills and behaviors, attending to the cons= equences, and refining or repeating the skills and behaviors until competent. In school children learn academic content and how to demonstrate their academic knowledge and skills.

As children progress in schools not only are their academic learning requirements expanding but so are their social requirements. Children must l= earn how to read the communication cues of a broader range of adults and childre= n. Children must learn how to understand the communication intent of print and spoken l= anguage. Children must learn how to appropriately express their needs, ideas, and in= tent. Children must learn how to read the nonverbal cues that they receive from others, as well as understand the nonverbal cues they are sending. Children must learn how to share, = take turns, ask questions, solve problems, monitor their own emotions, regulate their own actions and reactions, and decide what knowledge and skill is important and what is not. This learning takes place through a combination of explicit and implicit teaching.

Children must also learn how to differentiate between their school roles and responsibilities, and their ho= me and community roles and responsibilities. Eventually, children must begin to think about post school roles and responsibilities – What type of work will they participate in? What type of adult relationships and, perhaps, fa= mily do they want to build? Childr= en must learn the roles and responsibilities associated with adulthood.

As children continue to mature they must learn to parent, helping their own children and the children of their commu= nity to identify and master the roles and responsibilities of childhood, adolesc= ence and adulthood. The knowledge = and skill of adulthood is again learned through observation of models, trial and error, and implicit and explicit instruction.

Now consider children who are born with cognitive delays and disabilities, learning disabilities, social deficits, communication delays and impairments, even physical and health impairments. As children they= are observing and modeling from typically developing others, others who do not = have the unique learning needs that they experience. The children may not be reaching c= ompetence; they may experience frustration, self-doubt, delays and/or failure. What appears so natural for other children may not be natural for these children. What we know is that children with delays and disabilities require more explicit instruction, more guided practice, more repetition, more specific feedback, more opportunities to generalize and maintain knowledge and skills, more structure, more support, and more built in success than do their typically developing peers.

You are probably asking yourself what d= oes this have to do with partnerships between families, communities and schools. It is clear that the foundation of knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in school is = laid in the pre-school years – by the family and in the community. The majority of children’s l= ives are not spent in schools but within the family and community.

As a parent, I notice when and where my child is not successful. I notice when and where my child is successful. I notice how my child approaches new information, objects, people and environments. I notice which toys, objects, people and situations my child = is attracted to and which ones my child avoids. I notice how my child copes wi= th frustration and anger. I notice how my child reacts to failure or difficult tasks.

As a parent, I notice how my child expresses joy, pleasure, and happiness. I notice the number and types of fr= iendships my child has with children his or her age. I notice how well my child atten= ds to his or her own daily needs. I notice how well my child navigates his or = her environment. I notice how my child reacts to change. I notice what soothes = or comforts my child, and what agitates or disturbs him or her. I notice how w= ell my child is able to manipulate small and large objects. <= /p>

As a parent, I notice how quickly my ch= ild tires or gets bored. I notice when my child attends, and when he or she does not. I may not understand the whys of my child’s behavior but I do know my child’s behavior.

As a parent, I know the environments, roles, responsibilities and functions in which my family engages. I know the social relationships, recreational opportunities and community responsibili= ties in which I expect my child to participate.= I know the future aspirations my family holds for my child. I know o= ur resources. I know my family’s priorities for our family and our child= . I know our values and norms.

As a parent, I can provide this informa= tion to the faculty and staff of my child’s school to help them understand= and teach my child. With this information we can develop an educational program that “fits” my child’s present and future.

As a teacher,= I understand how children learn. I understand the curriculum of my school sys= tem. I understand the criteria established for success. I understand the knowled= ge and skills that are integral to learning the content I teach. I understand = how the knowledge and skills of my content support the curriculum of upper grad= es. I understand effective strategies for instructing children.

As a teacher,= I understand how to manage my classroom and my students’ behaviors. I understand how to support mainte= nance and generalization of knowledge and skills into functional community use. <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I understand effective strategies f= or monitoring and assessing children’s learning. I understand the resour= ces available within my school system and how to access them.

As a special education teacher, I under= stand the characteristics and implications of many disabilities and learning challenges. I understand how a phonemic awareness deficit impacts a child’s ability to use language to read, write and articulate thought= s. I understand how visual-motor perc= eption deficits can impede a child’s ability to copy notes or complete assignments. I understand how= an attention deficit can impact a child’s ability to focus and sustain attention thereby limiting his or her memory and comprehension of informati= on or recognition of social cues. I understand how mental retardation impacts the ability to understand and use abstract concepts.

As a special education teacher, I understand how a cycle of failure can limit a child’s willingness to = take a risk in new situations or with new information. I understand how an audit= ory memory deficit impacts a child’s ability to retain and act upon multiple-step oral directions. I understand how the inability to read social cues can isolate, or worst target, a child for victimization. I understand = how an external locus of control can cause a child not to understand he or she = does make decisions and is responsible for the consequences. <= /p>

As a special education teacher, I understand the need for structure, routine, repetition, guided practice, concise feedback, incremental success, praise and encouragement, concrete manipulation and explicit instruction.&nbs= p; I understand the need for consistency across environments and situations. I also understand= the detriment of low expectations.

As an academi= c, I know that children whose parents are involved in their school are more successful. I know that as children progress in grade levels the less invol= ved their parents are in their schools. I know that the parents of the most at-= risk students are the least involved in the schools. I know that parents are not involved with schools when they have a history of negative or frustrating school associations, and/or are more challenged in terms of transportation, child care, work hours, parenting support, and resources.=

As an academi= c I know that children who have been read to at home recognize letters and write their names sooner. I know th= at children who have been surrounded by people using complex sentences in ever= yday conversations achieve high scores on literacy-related tasks in kindergarten= . I know that children who receive support with homework perform better academically. I know that teenagers whose parents monitor their academic and social activities have lower rates of delinquency and higher rates of acade= mic growth. I know that children whose parents have high academic expectations = and who offer consistent encouragement have positive student outcomes. I know t= hat children who have been taught at home to write words are able to identify letters and connect them to speech sounds when they enter school. I know that children whose parents explain learning tasks are more likely to participate in class, seek help w= hen it is needed and monitor their own work.

As an academi= c I know the research indicates that family involvement with schools promotes school success. That increased family-school involvement in the primary grades is associated with increased literacy performance. And that parent involvement in secondary grades is associated with lower rate of sch= ool dropout, increased on-time school completion and higher grade completion. <= /span>

As a community member, I understand tha= t my own professional and personal experience provide me with exposure to knowle= dge and skills that may not be available to others. I can network with financial institutions to offer grants, scholarships and awards. I can brainstorm with medical personnel on diagnosis and treatment options for physiological aspe= cts of disabilities. I can work with mental health personnel to create support groups, respite care and treatment services within the community.

As a community member, I can collaborate with spiritual leaders to ensure churches, mosques, synagogues and other pl= aces of worship are open and accessible to persons with cognitive, behavioral and social disorders. I can work = with service organizations to adapt community playgrounds, parks and recreational areas to ensure they are accessible to children with disabilities. I can consult with personnel preparation programs to make sure issues of disabili= ties are taught in their curriculum.

As a community member, I understand tha= t I may have access to knowledge, skills or resources that can support a family’s or teacher’s ability to understand, support, and cope = with children with specific delays and disabilities. I understand that I can serve to s= upport families and teachers through sharing my knowledge and skills with policy makers, family members, employers, professionals and the children themselve= s.

As an advocat= e, I can share this information with the children, parents, other teachers, and community members in order to support the children’s learning and pos= itive relationships. I can help the children to understand themselves as learners= . I can help them to know their disability – their unique profile of asse= ts and deficits, to understand which strategies can help them bridge the gap a= nd which strategies build more barriers. I can provide parents with an understanding of why their children be= have as they do. I can provide parents with effective strategies to support their child within the family and community.

As an advocat= e, I can share my knowledge of disabilities and effective strategies with other teachers teaching the children. I can share resources and mentor them as th= ey gain skill and knowledge. I can provide community members, including potent= ial employers, with understanding of the functional implications of disabilitie= s. I can help identify resources and strategies to support the children as they integrate into the community and workforce. I can advocate for policies and procedures within the school system and community to acknowledge children w= ith disabilities, and to provide resources and support to facilitate their succ= ess as learners.

I know children with disabilities and delays can be successful learners, but their success may be more hard won a= nd more limited than necessary. The home, community and school are intertwined= in a learner’s life, what happens in one impacts the others. A partnersh= ip between family, community and school is necessary to most efficiently and effectively support success for all learners, especially those who learn differently.

You may be thinking – “Okay, she’s convinced me! But= how does this happen? What are effective partnerships? How do I become a successful partner?”

There is much research on building functional teams, positive partnerships and successful collaborations. Allow me to summarize some of the commonalities of this research:

Partners must have up-to-date knowledge= and skill in their area of expertise and be willing to share it with each other= . They must be able to provide accur= ate, current and relevant information in a manner that is understandable to others. This means that the language of education and disability has to be made functional, the context= of the home and community has to be explained, and a shared vocabulary has to = be developed.

Partners must be willing to learn from = each other, recognizing and valuing the expertise each partner brings to the partnership. Each partner is a valued and equal member of the partnership. Parents are not seen as “the problem” but rather as experts on their child, and their familiesR= 17; accomplishments and resources. Schools and teachers are not seen as “uncaring” but rather as experts on child development, academic curriculum, and academic resources.

Partnerships require systematic (routin= e, planned, flexible) communication. This communication must be multi-directional (back-and-forth between= and among the partners) and can involve face-to-face, written, and/or electronic formats. Listening, asking, explaining and coaching are all components of successful communication.

Partnerships have mutually agreed upon goals that everyone values and is working towards. Whenever possible it is best to inv= olve the child in the identification of goals, as he or she is most probably the person most intimately impacted by the partnership. It is also best to have= the support of school administration as they can make available time, space and other resources to facilitate the partnership.

Partners focus on the child’s ass= ets and needs, not their own agenda.

Partners support asking for “help= ”, admitting “I don’t know”, and offering “Can I help?”.

Partnerships involve asking for clarification. And continuing to ask until information is understood and process is agreed upon.

Partnerships engage in mutual problem-s= olving capitalizing on each partner’s assets, knowledge, and experiences.

Partners share accountability for the outcomes of the partnership. Blame and credit are equally shared among the partners. But each partner is accountable to the others as well.=

Partners value the interpersonal style = and interdependent methods of goal setting, problem-solving, information sharin= g, and accountability.

Partnerships take time – like a marriage – to develop relationships based on mutual trust and mutual = respect. Each partner must be willing and a= ble to give the needed time to the partnership. In order to build trust and respec= t, partners must learn to know each other – identifying similar interest= s, clarifying roles and responsibilities, sharing new ideas, complimenting eac= h other’s strengths and actions, and appreciating each other’s efforts and supp= ort.

This is what I have learned in 29 years= of working with learners with disabilities, their families, their communities = and their teachers.

Building, sustaining, and valuing partnerships between the family, community and school requires commitment a= nd a willingness to share with others. Together we have the opportunity to maximize successful use of poten= tial and to minimize failure for/with the child. Together we impact not just the pr= esent but the future.