Educators and parents of
students with special needs must work together
to change school culture and move from conflict to collaboration.
I 16 Leadership
f trust is born in strong relationships, then first encounters are critical. Par- ents of students with disabilities un- dergo a great deal of stress and come
to us – the educational professionals – for help with vital specialized tasks, including assessment, placement, progress monitor- ing, and maintenance of their child’s ongo- ing needs. Often, parents arrive at our school door-
steps with apprehension. Some parents are seeking a cure. Some don’t believe their child has a disability. Some parents are angry with themselves or even the system itself and look to us for answers. Special education is a framework where
the very foundation is built on adversarial relations – where parents hire attorneys and advocates to fight against districts. We need to lead the way in changing this culture and move from conflict to collaboration. Collaboration between schools and par-
ents is the foremost approach to accurate educational planning and rests primarily
on two principles of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: parent partici- pation and procedural due process. IDEA requires parents to be included in the edu- cational process.
Effective long-term partnerships Often, parents of students with spe-
cial needs will come to an Individualized Education Program team meeting and feel threatened by the very people who are re- sponsible for providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for their child. Trust between parents and educational leaders is necessary for effective long-term partner- ships and ultimately to support and im- prove the teaching and learning process for eligible children. Because of differing perspectives and
theories of educational intervention, there has been a remarkable escalation of IDEA-
By Laurie Wellner
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40