Zakayeva G.

Kazakh State Women’s Pedagogical University

 

Parental Involvement in Inclusive Education

 

Today it is widely accepted that inclusion maximizes the potential of the vast majority of students, ensures their rights, and is the preferred educational approach for the 21st century.  Inclusion is an educational approach and philosophy that provides all students with community membership and greater opportunities for academic and social achievement.  Inclusion is about making sure that each and every student feels welcome and that their unique needs and learning styles are attended to and valued.

The purpose of inclusive education is to ensure that all students gain access to knowledge, skills, and information that will prepare them to contribute to communities.  Inclusion enhances learning for students, both with and without special needs.  Students learn, and use their learning differently; the goal is to provide all students with the instruction they need to succeed as learners and achieve high standards, alongside their friends and neighbors.

Parental involvement is important for the education of children of all ages, but it is especially critical for the success of young children as Family members of disabled children often have a great deal to teach the so-called professionals because they have an intimate knowledge of their child and their particular needs. Given the fact that children spend the early years of life under nearly constant parental supervision, parents can serve as primary educators by directly teaching their children throughout the day in a variety of natural settings. There is a shift in the focus of intervention services from child-centered to family-centered [1].

Clearly the parent-child subsystem is extremely important within the larger family system, but sibling relationships may be even more significant because siblings actually spend a significant amount of time with each other, and those sibling interactions often directly affect the larger set of peer interactions that occur outside of the family. Siblings learn critical social skills from each other, such as sharing, negotiation, and competition. The impact of a child’s dis­ability on siblings’ emotional and behavioral functioning is multifactorial and influenced by characteristics of the sibling and sibling dyad, the nature and de­mands of the child’s condition, and parental and family functioning. Sibling relationships appear especially important for preschool children. At this age, children start to play associatively or cooperatively, and thus in­teractive play is one of the effective ways of learning for preschool children [2].

Collaboration between families and schools supports the powerful role of parents in their children’s education and therefore, provides good support for the children [3]. This approach considers the child and family characteristics that are important in designing interventions and providing suggestions when problems arise. Conjunct behavioral consultation has been used to improve social skills of children who are socially withdrawn. Results have demonstrated greater improvements in children’s social skills, following a collaborative approach rather than when only the teacher is involved [4]. Parents of children with disabilities are not only included in direct intervention of services through parent education, but they are also considered valued members of their children’s special education team [5]. Parents have been particularly empowered through individualised education programme, whereby, they can be active participants in the assessment, development, and evaluation of their children’s school programmes [3]. This approach encourages the amount of coordination between children, their families, agencies, and schools.

What are some important strategies for successful parent involvement? It is not enough to just invite parents or family members to the school or to their child’s IEP meeting. Parents and family members must be proactively supported in order for their involvement to be successful. Ideas for this include:

What are some practical ways for schools to increase parent and family involvement?

Schools can increase parent and family involvement by:

·        Developing a phone network or chain of volunteer families who can call each other. Families respond better to direct contact.

·        Developing a short survey to ask families what kind of events and activities they want to participate in, as well as what they see lacking for their child and family as part of the school community; development of multiple ways that families can actively participate, based on feedback. Some schools plan annual day-long retreats that include families, teachers, administrators, and others.

·        Inviting families to visit and create a classroom environment that welcomes them and helps them to feel comfortable. [7].

What can teachers and school administrators do to promote family-professional collaboration and partnerships?

·        Recognize that the family is the constant in the child’s life, while the service system and personnel within those systems fluctuates.

·        Facilitate parent-professional collaboration at all levels of care and service: care of an individual child/youth program development, implementation and evaluation, and policy formation.

·        Honor the racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of families.

·        Recognize family strengths and individuality and respect different methods of coping.

·        Share complete and unbiased information with parents on a continuing basis and in a supportive manner [7].

Families that are involved in their child’s school at any level have opportunities to learn more about their child, how their child learns, and how to support their child’s success in and out of school. Family members, in turn, are able to share their knowledge so that teachers and other professionals can better understand what strategies may be more successful with that individual child. This exchange of information provides a more holistic picture of the child and a way to provide information and services that meet the needs of the whole family.

Family and school represent the primary environments in which young children grow and develop, and good schools value parental involvement. The foundation for good parent-teacher relationships is frequent and open communication, mutual respect and a clear understanding of what is best for each individual child.

References

1 Johnson C. What do families need? Journal of Positive Behavior Intervention 2000; 2: 115-117.

2. Rossiter, L., & Sharpe, D. (2001). The siblings of individuals with mental retardation: A quantitative integration of the literature. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10, 65-84.

3. Fine MJ, Gardner A. Collaborative consultation with families of children with special needs: Why bother? Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultations 1994; 5: 283-308.

4. Sheridan SM, Kratochwill TR, Elliot SN. Behavioral consultation with parents and teachers: Applications with socially withdrawn children. School Psychology Review 1990; 19: 33-52.

5. McGee GG, Jacobs HA, Regnier MC. Preparation for families for incidental teaching and advocacy for their children with autism. OSERS, News in Print 1993; Winter: 9-13.

6. Williams, D. L, Jr., & Chavkin, N. F. (1989). Essential elements of strong parent involvement programs. Educational Leadership, 47(2), 18-20.

7. National Center for Family-Centered Care. [1990]. What is family-centered care? [brochure]. Bethesda, MD: Association for the Care of Children’s Health.