Essay Sample on School-Family Partnership Plan

The partnership between educators and parents is crucial for the success of students in the majority of the learning environments. The partnership provides a positive, open, and supportive relationship between the school and home to achieve desirable outcomes. Successful teacher-parent relationships and parental engagement in learning are likely to create a conducive environment for learning where students feel supported and cared to perform well (Patel & Stevens, 2010). The partnership between families/guardians and schools is that it is focused on the best interest of the student, seeks to achieve a positive course of action, and allows the exchange of information about the strengths and weaknesses of students to develop improved instructional strategies.

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The learning of students with disabilities is different from students without disabilities because they have special needs. Partnerships between the school and parents are crucial in their education to offer them the optimal support needed. Turnbull et al. (2013) provide a list of principles that should guide successful partnerships between parents of students with disabilities and educators. They include communication, professional competence, respect, commitment, equality, advocacy, and trust. The principles need to be integrated into the cultural, ethical, and linguistic diversity of the students and their families for them to be successful. In my school, the seven principles have been demonstrated in various ways, as discussed below.

Communication

The school has demonstrated the principle of communication through parental engagement in various ways. The partnership between the school and the guardians or families of the students with disabilities values friendly communication. The parties come together to assist the learners in pursuing their educational goals. The communication is set to state the objectives of the communication clearly and listen to each other. Clear communication ensures that there is little room for distortion of the message or missing the purpose of the message communicated. Each of the parties is required to listen to each other to develop essential frameworks for meeting then the individual needs of the students. The communication is honest as both parties provide truthful information about their observations of the skills, knowledge, and capacities of the students. The school provides and coordinates information about the student, learning abilities, and opportunities for future learning.

Professional Competence

The school demonstrates professional competence by providing appropriate education, setting high expectations, and supporting students to continue to learn. The school offers a warm welcome to parents who report that their kids need proper education to support learning. It recognizes students as individuals with unique needs and integrates the proper education in the curriculum. The institution meets the needs of students with special needs through the curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment methodologies to build on the strengths of the learners. The school sets high expectations, although realistic, to actively engage them in the improvement process. It also offers learners the opportunity to continue learning to align with the dynamics of the current education system as well as the advances in technology.

Respect

The school demonstrates respect by treating learners and their families with dignity, honoring the cultural diversity of the learners, and affirming their strengths. The institution believes that everyone needs respectful treatment, whether in communication, engagement, or delivery of services, as long as one is within the compound. It honors the cultural diversity of the learners by allowing educators to use insights acquired through communication with families, researching and talking with colleagues to achieve discipline and academic success. Teachers have the freedom to talk with families about cultural assumptions as enshrined within their practices and norms. The school ensures that parents are engaged in positive outcomes but not on negativity only. Educators contact parents to the community about both the improvements and issues to discuss newer strategies of assisting the students in learning.

Commitment

The school shows a commitment by being sensitive to the emotional needs of students and parents, being accessible and available, and going beyond expectations. It regards that different families exhibit different levels of psychological needs, and therefore, it is the responsibility of the school to meet their worries. Regardless of the families' view of the disabilities, the school advises educators and other staff to be sensitive to the emotional needs of students and families. The institution has set up availability and accessibility programs of educators and administrators. The administrators informed parents that it might be challenging to be meeting them anytime, and hence, the plans set would ensure teachers are available and accessible. Teachers and support staff go beyond their routine jobs of teaching to create the most conducive environment for learning characterized by quality care, support, and emotional assistance at any time.

Equality

The school demonstrates concepts of equality by allowing the sharing of power, fostering empowerment, and offering a wide range of options. The partnerships are based on fair sharing of power such that there is no party feels intimidated. Educators have the most significant responsibility to ensure they build power-shared partnerships instead of exercising unnecessary authority in their relationships with parents. The school seeks to use partnerships to empower educators, parents, and students toward achieving wellness and academic goals. The empowerment would foster efforts put by educators and parents, including their families, to work together. Equality ensures that students with disabilities have similar opportunities as students in general education. Equality offers a wide range of options for students with disabilities to live meaningful lives.

Advocacy

The institution shows advocacy by fighting against the challenges faced by students with disabilities. The key concepts include the prevention of problems, identification, and documentation of the issues, creation of alliances, focus on win-win situations, and embracing opportunities for advocacy. Educators focus on preventing more problems from occurring by equipping students with the necessary skills to live safely. It uses data from the profiles and research trends as the basis of decision-making for quality education. The school creates alliances by engaging more friends and networking as it seeks success in advocacy efforts. The institution accommodates parents, educators, and administrators in advocacy to ensure all perspectives are heard and attended for the satisfaction of everyone. It stays alert to help students whose parents do have a voice. The school opens its eyes and informs them about the available opportunities in the education of their kids.

Trust

The school demonstrated trust in partnerships by using sound judgments, maintaining confidentiality, and being reliable. Parents and guardians are confident that educators make sound decisions regarding curriculum, discipline, assessments, instruction, and social relationships, which are critical factors in the success of students with disabilities. The school supports talks and communications between educators but warns them about spreading confidential information through gossip. It advises them that families deserve respect by keeping their information confidential regardless of their inappropriate status based on individual observation. The institution has a team tasked with the role of ensuring that teachers walk their talk. They have to organize themselves based on time, resources, and skills need to accomplish the promises they give parents for them to be dependable.

Steps for Educators to Foster Positive Relationships with Parents/Guardians

First impression: I would want to encounter parents who are gracious and warm. As an educator, I will try sharing tidbits about myself by offering the necessary support needed in the first meeting. For instance, sharing a drink or some snacks would help establish a positive relationship between the educator and parents.

Use the most appropriate communication techniques: While many parents need to be updated on how their kids are doing, often communication through the available channels would be important (Nind & Hewett, 2012). Educators can use phone calls or emails. Educators are not limited to these two channels since they can also use other apps, including Remind to schedule and send reminders, homework, and assignments to parents.

Learn from parents: Teachers should accept learning from parents the same way educators expect parents to learn them for positive relationships. Teachers have the role of listening to parents about their children since they may offer essential information that educators did not know. It is through a strong relationship that parents are okay with the learning of their children because they are aware that educators know all the relevant information to facilitate students' learning. Parents and educators have to agree on the ways they can help the kids both at school and home by inviting each other to share knowledge, skills, and interests.

Be resourceful: Educators are expected to be resourceful in addressing the concerns of the parents. Guardians expect to get the necessary help whenever they approach teachers for help, and therefore, educators need to have the resources required to assist in problem-solving. Teachers need always to be prepared to suggest resources for parents to inquire about their concerns. They can familiarize themselves with the necessary information, including policies, contact information, expectations, and the supplies needed to create a foundation for successful learning. Additionally, special educators can build websites, including WordPress, where families with access to the internet can be reading about the education of students with special needs in the school. Educators can also liaise with the administration to prepare newsletters and pamphlets and offer them to parts to educate them.

Invite Input and Explain Decisions: Educators should take their time in explanation of the decisions regarding the learning of students. Some parents might not adequately understand all the concepts of an education system, including the proper protocols, curriculum choices, and standardized testing. The education of parents without adequate information about the education system or learning processes would make it easier for them to understand the decisions and course of action for the teachers. Educators need to invite parents in the decision-making process and offer them the appropriate information required before they air their opinions in the problem-solving methods. Teachers need to recognize the participation of parents in the decision-making process because they might be having vital information about their children that would impact on the final solution chosen.

How Does the Plan Account for Student Strengths and Challenges?

The plan advocates for partnership between educators and parents regarding the learning of children with special needs, to solve problems. The meetings between the two parties offer an opportunity to exchange ideas about the observable strengths and weaknesses of the students to devise strategies to optimize their learning (Hornby, 2011).