Family Engagement in Schools: Parent, Educator, and Community Perspectives

How engaged families are in their children’s lives, whether at home or in school, predicts their success in school and in life. The purpose of this study was to explore parent, educator, and community member perspectives of family engagement, preschool through grade 12, to inform state-level policy from an ecological framework. Ten semi-structured focus groups were conducted throughout one midwestern state, including five urban groups, four rural groups, and one suburban group. All focus groups were held in high-poverty areas serving high-need communities. All school communities received Title I funds and the average free and reduced lunch rate across participating districts was 75%. Several themes emerged through focus groups, including the importance of relationships, inclusive opportunities, communication, parent education, and family activities. Potential outcomes are included for policy and program development, as well as implications to further expand on issues relative to special education, fatherhood, and English language learners.

Parent–Educator Relationships

Chapter 8 describes educators’ perceptions of how stigmatization affects their relationships with parents whose children have disabilities and how they respond to these challenges in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. Educators from all four cultural groups characterized the development of collaborative relationships with parents as critical to supporting the school success of children with disabilities. They also described challenges posed by stigmatization to those relationships and solutions to those challenges. The perspectives of educators from diverse contexts can help identify cultural blind spots and provide insights into the development of effective culture- and stigma-sensitive strategies to build relationships with parents to better support their children.

The Voices of Parents

Interlude 2 briefly illustrates the perspectives of Japanese and South Korean parents who have children with disabilities. It also describes strategies used for approaching parents on this highly sensitive topic. Japanese parents discussed their children’s challenges, the benefits they perceived of disability services, and their preferences for how their children should be supported at school. South Korean parents described their children’s challenges including stigmatization, the impact on typically developing siblings, and the importance of the support they received from other parents raising children with disabilities. Understanding parents’ perspectives on their children’s disabilities and associated stigmatization can facilitate collaborative parent–educator relationships necessary to supporting the school functioning of children with disabilities.