Working with Families

The importance of collaborating with families to promote participation in educational decision-making has been identified as one of the key principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

IDEA provides for specific rights that enable parents to participate as equal members of the IEP team and to be involved in evaluation, placement, and special education and related service decisions.

Family–professional partnerships have been defined as a relationship in which families (not just parents) and professionals agree to build on each other’s expertise and resources, as appropriate, for the purpose of making and implementing decisions that will directly benefit students and indirectly benefit other family members and professionals. Teachers should respectfully and effectively communicate considering the background, socioeconomic status, language, culture, and priorities of the family, and ensure families are informed about their rights as well as about special education processes.

Related Blogs

What CEC Means to Me

Ontario Unit
They say, “time flies when you are having fun,” and this certainly applies to my time as an educator for the past 32 years and CEC member for 18 of these years. My introduction to the collegiality that is CEC was as a doctoral student when I made my first conference presentation based on my work with an after-school literacy program. Immediately, I felt welcomed and valued as a novice conference presenter.
Publish Date: 
May 15, 2023

Behavior Today 39(2)

Behavior Today logo
DEBH
When David moved to Kansas in 2013 the local chapter of Delta Tau Delta at University of Kansas reached out, needing an advisor. He initially declined, but they lowered the response effort by offering a co-advisor so he accepted, though the co-advisor never materialized. Ultimately a four-year experience full of reinforcement of behaviors (contributions of his time, talent, and treasure), a main focus of his advising was helping the chapter of young men shift from a purely reactive approach to challenging behavior, to a proactive approach that included reinforcing behaviors they wanted to see happen more often in the shelter.
Publish Date: 
April 28, 2022

Dayna Stump

Danya Stump
Danya Stump has been a special education teacher for 27 years, with the majority of those years being in early childhood. She taught an ECSE class for 16 years, and provided early childhood special education services to students in the preschool setting for 7 years. Danya is now the Teacher Consultant/Child Find coordinator for Farmington Public Schools in Michigan. Danya attended Eastern Michigan University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in special education and a Master’s degree in early childhood education. She is passionate about educating young children and supporting their families during the earliest years of their education journey.
Publish Date: 
March 17, 2022

Nick Polcini

Nick Polcini
Nick D. Polcini has served as a special educator for about 21 years in the field. He has been a middle school teacher and a high school teacher working with kids with Learning Disabilities and Autism. Nick graduated from West Chester University of PA in 2000 in Special Education and earned his M. Ed. In Special Education with an area of concentration in Secondary Transition at WCU in 2005. Nick currently teaches as a special education teacher at B. Reed Henderson High School in the West Chester Area School District in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Publish Date: 
October 11, 2021

Cathy Wojcik

Cathy Wojick
In her 28th in education, Cathy Wojcik has taught in various early childhood special education settings (ECSE), including Self-Contained ECSE, Reverse Inclusion ECSE, Inclusive PreK, and Itinerant/Community Based. She also served on the Evaluation Team for PreK and is currently an ECSE Autism teacher. Cathy holds a BS in Special Education from Penn State University and M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education.
Publish Date: 
October 07, 2021

Travis Cooper

Travis Cooper
Travis Cooper lives in Kodiak, AK and has been teaching Special Education for 5 years. He has taught secondary students in a variety of settings but finds himself most at home in a Life Skills program. Currently, he is taking classes working towards becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analysts. When he is not focused on school, he enjoys spending time hiking and exploring the local trails.
Publish Date: 
September 27, 2021

3 Ways I Build Strong Relationships With My Students’ Families

3 Ways I Build Strong Relationships With My Students’ Families
As a special education teacher, I know that the majority of my job is centered around helping my students learn, grow, and thrive. Something I didn’t realize going into the field, however, was just how critical building strong relationships with my students’ families would be to achieving this goal.
Publish Date: 
November 20, 2019

Related Topics

Co-Teaching
Professional Collaboration
Working with Colleagues

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