Parent involvement and participation in educational planning and decision-making are core values in special education and rights that are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
To better understand family involvement in special education, you will conduct a scholarly
investigation of practices that can be used by educators to increase involvement and participation
of family members of learners with special needs at school. Research must be based on a
minimum of four professional articles published in peer-reviewed journals recognized in the
field of special education.
Students will compose a five-page paper on family engagement, which must include:
(1) a summary of positive outcomes of family involvement based on the professional,
peer-reviewed research literature for students with exceptionalities,
(2) a description of common barriers to participation,
(3) a description of evidence-based practices that can be used to reduce barriers to and improve
the frequency and/or quality of family’s involvement and participation in the learner’s
educational planning and decision-making, and
(4) list of references in APA format.
Article 1
Kelty, N. E., & Wakabayashi, T. (2020). Family engagement in schools: Parent, educator, and community
perspectives. Sage Open, 10(4), 2158244020973024.
Parent involvement and participation in educational planning and decision-making
Full Answer Section
- Lack of time
- Lack of transportation
- Language barriers
- Cultural differences
- Negative experiences with schools
- Fear of judgment
- Building relationships with families
- Communicating effectively with families
- Providing flexible options for participation
- Welcoming families from all cultures
- Addressing concerns and fears
- Kelty, N. E., & Wakabayashi, T. (2020). Family engagement in schools: Parent, educator, and community perspectives. Sage Open, 10(4), 2158244020973024.
- Kalyanpur, M., & Harry, B. (2012). Culturally responsive family-school partnerships: Building relationships for student success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Turnbull, A. P., Turnbull, H. R. III, Erwin, E. J., Soodak, L. C., & Shogren, K. A. (2018). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcomes through partnerships and trust (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
- The National Center for Family-Centered Practice and Outcomes: https://www.ncfp.org/
- The National Parent Teacher Association: https://www.pta.org/
- The Council for Exceptional Children: https://www.cec.sped.org/
Sample Answer
Positive Outcomes of Family Involvement
There is a growing body of research that supports the positive outcomes of family involvement for students with exceptionalities. These outcomes include:
- Increased academic achievement
- Improved social-emotional development
- Reduced behavioral problems
- Increased self-esteem
- Stronger parent-child relationships
- Enhanced family-school partnerships