Parent-School Partnership

In this chapter, you will learn about the importance of the parent-school partnership as it relates to behavior.

Things to Consider:

1. Behaviors may look differently in the home than in the classroom.
2. Parents know their child best and can often tell you the MANY different interventions that may or may not have been successful in the past.
3. Insight from families can be extremely valuable when conducting an assessment.

Parent-School Partnership- What Research Says

Research in the area of positive behavior support recognizes the importance of including families in the process. The implementation of behavior plans are no longer considered to be a "school issue," but rather should take place across a student's entire ecology (school, home, and community). Outcomes from studies that implement PBS practices into the home (i.e., behavior intervention plans based on a functional behavior assessment) yield very positive outcomes (see reference list below).

This research essentially points to the fact that teachers need to include families throughout the entire behavior planning process. This process should begin with the identification of problem behaviors, assessment practices, creation of the behavior intervention plan, and throughout the implementation and progress monitoring stages. There are many different ways to include parents through these processes. Shayne's mother, Michelle, has listed a few suggestions below.

Parent-School Partnership- What Michelle Says

There are a variety of methods teachers can use to promote the parent-school partnership. Some of the ones that I like are below:

1. A back and forth “note book”, letting parents know what is happening at school as well as allowing the parents to do the same for home.
2. Listen, Listen, Listen to the parents!
3. Take data on times, activities when unwanted behavior happens. Find patterns and share with families
4. Talk to parents about the unwanted behavior(s) in a positive manner (not blaming).  Ask them what they are doing by doing this you can find out if something is working at home that can be used at school and vice versa.
5. Get to know your student and his or her parents
6. Let parents brag about their child, you can also learn a lot by this as well.

Believe me when I say a parent will open up to you if they trust you.  Then you can ask questions. If I had that open communication and trust with my daughter’s teachers they would have listened to what I was saying.  Shayne’s life would not have changed forever on February 12, 1997.

See an example page written in Shayne's Notebook

References

Buschbacher, P., Fox, L., & Clarke, S. (2004). Recapturing desired family routines: A parent-professional behavioral collaboration. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 29, p. 25-39.

Clarke, S., Dunlap, G., & Vaughn, B. (1999) Family-centered, assessment based intervention to improve behavior during an early morning routine. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1, pp.235-241.

Singer, G. H., Goldberg-Hamblin, S. E., Peckham-Hardin, K. D., Barry, L., &
Santarelli, G. E. (2002). Toward a synthesis of family support practices and
positive behavior support. In J. M. Lucyshyn, G. Dunlap, & R. W. Albin
(Eds.), Families and positive behavior support: Addressing problem behavior
in family contexts (pp. 155–183). Baltimore: Brookes.

Turnbull, A. P., Friesen, B. J., & Ramirez, C. (1998). Participatory action research as a model for conducting family research. The Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 23, 178–188.

Turnbull, A. P., & Ruef,M. B. (1996). Family perspectives on problem behavior.
Mental Retardation, 34, 280–293.

Turnbull,A. P., & Ruef,M. B. (1997). Family perspectives on inclusive lifestyle
issues for people with problem behavior. Exceptional Children, 63, 211–
227.

Turnbull, A. P., & Turnbull, H. R. (2006). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcome through partnerships and trust (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.