Family and Community Engagement

Description:

As families, educators and community members recognize the importance of inclusive practices, new and authentic partnerships must be formed.
Practices:
  1. Family members are included as active members of team making decisions about their child.
  2. School/district routinely builds relationships between families and schools through two-way communication, offcampus outreach, non-threatening fun activities, and a positive school climate.
  3. Students encourage family involvement through active participation in school programs/events and parent communication.
  4. Parents are provided information and training regarding inclusive practices and the ways that they can support success for their child.
  5. School/district provides opportunities for community involvement at the school, recognizing when appropriate, the community learning and work sites and their contributions to student success.
Phases of Implementation:
Excellence Phase
  • Families are encouraged to assist in training other parents.
  • Families are fully informed of the results of studies regarding the quality of services for students with disabilities.
  • Decisions about placement location are made on an individual student basis and not on the basis of labels.
  • Family members assist the school in evaluating the success of its efforts toward inclusive schools.
  • The school team provides opportunities to celebrate positive student outcomes with family, staff, and school partners.
Implementation Phase
  • The team recognizes that needs and capacity vary from family to family.
  • Parents are provided with varied opportunities to develop skills and expertise in advocacy.
  • Family members are selected and prepared for a role as parent trainer/parent facilitator so that they can develop their own expertise and confidence.
Initiation Phase
  • Families are included as active partners in educational decision-making.
  • The team recognizes the importance of key family members (e.g., siblings and grandparents) in planning for meaningful family involvement.
  • Families are provided with information about access to the general curriculum, including examples related to their child’s own program.
  • The school team expands community partnerships to help align resources for students based on data across all levels of support.
Resources: (more to come)