Collaboration Skills for School Professionals
i. Recognize the role of bias in educator-family relationships
ii. Recognize your own implicit bias and attitudes and the ways that it effects your teaching and
relationships with families
iii. Learn tips/tools to effectively communicate with parents and the community your students live in
iv. Identify strategies for promoting family participation in educational decision making
v. Generate ideas for increasing communication with families using various modalities
vi. Recognize potential barriers to communication, and identify potential solutions
vii. Understand the family perspective in the special education process
ii. Recognize your own implicit bias and attitudes and the ways that it effects your teaching and
relationships with families
iii. Learn tips/tools to effectively communicate with parents and the community your students live in
iv. Identify strategies for promoting family participation in educational decision making
v. Generate ideas for increasing communication with families using various modalities
vi. Recognize potential barriers to communication, and identify potential solutions
vii. Understand the family perspective in the special education process
Project Appleseed -
The National Campaign for Public School Improvement
Barriers to Family Involvement in Education
Recent research shows that numerous barriers to involvement exist for both schools and families. Some barriers are created by limited resources, while others originate from the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes of families and school staff (Liontos, 1992). The most common barriers to family involvement include:
Recent research shows that numerous barriers to involvement exist for both schools and families. Some barriers are created by limited resources, while others originate from the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes of families and school staff (Liontos, 1992). The most common barriers to family involvement include:
- Lack of teacher time.
- Teachers’ misperceptions of parents’ abilities.
- Lack of understanding of parents’ communication styles.
- Limited family resources, such as transportation and child care.
- Parents’ lack of comfort at the school.
- Tension in relationships between parents and teachers.
- Mobility.
- Lack of vested interest.
- Difficulties of involvement in the upper grades. (Jones, 2001; Baker, 2000; Caplan, 2000; American Association of School Administrators, 1998; Liontos, 1992).