Communication as Key to Building Strong

Family-School Relationships
Written By: Breanna Carels (110220)
August 20, 2018

Education of Children with Learning Disabilities 1

Course Number: 04:754
Instructor: Dr. Alexa Okrainec
 Individual student success is a very important goal for educators.  When students walk

through the door at the beginning of the year teachers prepare to implement educational practices

that will make learning a possibility for all students.  All students require different forms of

attention from educators to help meet their needs. Within the general classroom, according to a

study done in 2002, approximately 9.2% of the school-aged population was receiving special

education services under IDEA (Dominquez-Pareto & Holloway, 2012).  General educators

therefore are often required to support students with high incidence disabilities. One of the best

forms of support these educators can give students is a good relationship with the child’s family.

Without a good relationship, there is disconnect between home and school and students are not

properly supported.  A good family-school relationship will evolve with good communication in

both directions. Although this shift towards family-school partnerships is a slow process, there

are many benefits that show the importance of creating the partnerships. Student success relies

heavily on a strong family-school partnership, which is built on two-way communication that is

valued and respected by both parties.  

Prior to the 21st century schools were set up with a school-as-fortress attitude (Sanfelippo

& Sinanis, 2016).  With this attitude educators worked on their own to find the best ways to

educate students.  What happened inside the school walls was not advertised and no outside

expertise was sought.  Researchers in the field began to see the need to flatten these walls and

invite communities and families in to the inner workings of schools.  The efforts of these

researchers recognized the importance of having what was called a family-school partnership

(Christenson, 2004).  In the family-school partnership, the most important feature is

communication.  The reason to create strong communication between parents and educators is to

help the young children succeed in their school journey (Epstein, 1995).  Without
communication there is no connect between what happens at school and what happens at home.

They essentially become two separate parts of the child’s life, where there is no continuation of

goals or consistent follow through.  The problem is school and home life cannot be separated.

What happens in one facet of a child’s life will directly affect what is happening in the other

areas of their life. Writer Don Davies describes the child’s life as an ecosystem where all parts

are intertwined and affect each other.  He stated that in order to support a child there must be

good connections between all parts of the ecosystem (Davies, 1993). Communication has the

power to make a connection between the parts of an ecosystem. When parents are aware of the

schools expectations and understand how the school operates, they are able to advocate for their

children (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991).  Educators will also be able to support students more readily if

parents share their child’s interests, strengths, and challenges with the school support team

(Hindman, 2012). All students would benefit from a partnership of their parents and school

educators. When students have disabilities that may make their school experiences more

difficult, it is especially important that there are connections between school and home

(Holloway & Dominquez-Pareto, 2012).  Transforming the schools fortress into a partnership

takes both a change in practice and in philosophy.  Educators need to develop the mindset that

communicating with the families of students is not meant to be a challenge but rather an

opportunity (Sanfelippo & Sinanis, 2016).  This communication will be the first step in

developing strong relationships, centered on student success, which are built on the foundation of

trust and respect (Hindman, 2012).  

Now, after having discussed the reasons why family-school partnerships are so important,

there will be a focus on what this partnership should look like in order to lead to a successful

experience for the student.  The spotlight on communication between parents and teachers started
because of the work of Joyce Epstein (Hindman, 2012). Epstein encourages the communication

and collaboration between families as she felt they were both responsible for the socialization

and education of the child (Epstein, 1986).  The communication that occurs cannot be a one-way

street. In order for the child to succeed there must be two-way communication; school to home

and home to school (Hutchins, 2012). Educators have a variety of ways in which they can

communicate with parents. The most common form of parent teacher communication is the

reporting period conferences.  These reporting periods happen two or three times a year in a

scheduled setting. Although having these meetings are important they cannot be the only form

of communication educators have with parents. These meetings are often an insufficient amount

of time to fully discuss the needs of the student (Boyle & Scanlon, 2018). The first reporting

period is also only scheduled for some time in November generally, therefore if you are working

with a student with a disability it would be important to be communicating with parents earlier.

Educators can communicate with all parents through classroom newsletters, Google Classroom,

or a trusted form of social media (Hutchins, 2012). By doing this all parents are on the same

page when it comes to upcoming events, emergency procedures and assignment deadlines. It is

also important to touch base with parents on a more personal level as well. Educators can set up

individual meeting times before or after school with parents, they can make phone calls home, or

they can connect with parents via email (Hutchins, 2012). There are many ways to get into

contact with parents but discussing with the parents ahead of time which form of communication

works best for them would be helpful.  Understanding that parents have busy works schedules or

may not have Internet access at home will help in making the communication more successful.

Parents then need to understand that they have the right and responsibility to continue the

dialogue with their child’s educator (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991). Not only do they have the right to
communicate with educators but they also have the right to make decisions on their child’s

behalf (Holloway & Dominquez-Pareto, 2012). In recent decades there were two important

policies created that looked out for the rights of special needs children. These policies were the

No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Both of

these Acts cover the importance of a partnership between family and school.  These acts mandate

that professionals should be actively including parents in their educational practices and decision

making (Dominquez-Pareto & Holloway, 2012). Having parents involved in the educational

practices of their child gives them both a sense of understanding and empowerment (Delgado-

Gaitan, 1991). Parents need to know that the information they have to contribute will be valued.

Once they recognize that they are being valued they will become more confident and willing to

share and communicate with educators. They will actively engage themselves in the school

community, and willingly interact with the school in dealing with issues about their child’s

education (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991). Both educators and parents need to listen to each other with

a level of respect and trust.  They need to recognize that each party has very valuable information

to share, and that they can capitalize on the expertise of each other (Dominquez-Pareto &

Holloway, 2012). Everyone needs to agree on a program design, which will best meet the needs

of the student. The educator needs to share the goals they have for the students’ academic

success and the ways in which they plan on accomplishing these goals. While the parent needs

to express their preferences about how they want their child’s program carried out (Holloway &

Dominquez-Pareto, 2012). Parents should also be able to share any concerns they may have

about their child’s program. The goal is that everyone on the child’s support team is treated as

equal members in the decision making process (Hutchins, 2012).

 When Epstein began her work on family-school partnerships, she recognized a need for

change.  Although many parents had positive attitudes about schools and teachers, they reported

that educators certainly could be doing more to include parents with educational practices

(Epstein, 1986).  Therefore, Epstein encouraged a shift from one-way communication from

educators, to an equally shared two-way communication (Epstein, 1986). Most change takes

time, and this has certainly been the case with the family-school partnership.  There are factors

that have prevented the building of a positive relationship. One factor that has certainly been a

point of frustration for parents is that educators are only choosing to connect with them if their

children are struggling (Hindman, 2012).  It is very discouraging for parents to only hear

negative feedback and thus it is difficult for them to feel supported by their child’s educator.

Teachers should work towards establishing positive communication with parents early on to try

to avoid this issue. Another factor that leads to strained relationships are the stressors that

parents of children with disabilities deal with when trying to provide their child with the best

care possible (Holloway & Dominquez-Pareto, 2012).    All parents worry about setting their

children up for the future.  When a parent has a child with a disability, they have a unique set of

worries.  They constantly worry about finding care and services that will help their child meet

their needs in the future (Boyle & Scanlon, 2018).  This can cause both emotional and financial

strains on the parents, which in turn affects their own quality of life (Holloway & Dominquez-

Pareto, 2012).  As the parent deals with these stressors at home, it is important for educators to

be aware of how a parent might be feeling.  If a parent is already feeling defeated and unsure

what they can do next to assist their child, then a negative note from an educator could put an

extra strain on the parent.  Educators need to be aware of what kind of stress a parent is already

dealing with when initially getting into contact with the parent (Holloway & Dominquez-Pareto,
2012). The third factor that has caused relationships to be negative is the disconnect between

educators and parents that are considered to be in minority groups.  One such group would be

EAL families. Educators have challenges trying to communicate and connect with EAL families

(Christenson, 2004). There are obvious linguistic barriers that make communication very

difficult. Another minority group would be parents that are considered cultural “outsiders”.

These parents may lack knowledge of skills in linguistic, cultural, or educational practices

(Dominquez-Pareto & Holloway, 2012).  Some of these parents have also expressed that they

have experienced racism when interacting with their child’s educators (Dominquez-Pareto &

Holloway, 2012). Some areas and school divisions still face this unfortunate reality.

Educational institutions should have more awareness of the different cultural practices of their

students’ parents. Parents with different cultural beliefs then the educator may have a different

outlook on their roles in supporting the child (Dominquez-Pareto & Holloway, 2012).  The last

minority group that will be discussed are low-income families. Parents of children with

disabilities that are from low-income households have reported that they have very little positive

contact with schools. These parents have stated that they are generally only contacted when

there are behavioural issues with their child at school (Davies, 1993). Again, this is very

discouraging for parents who are already dealing with many different stressors in their life. All

of the issues that have been listed above are intertwined in a sense.  The main issue being that

educators are unaware of what parents are dealing with and are unable to connect with parents on

a personal level. These issues can certainly be resolved with some effort on the part of

educational institutions. It is important that parents develop a positive sense of their role as a

caregiver through advocating on behalf of their child with a disability. They will begin to feel a

sense of purpose and gain the confidence to participate with the schools to try and help meet the
needs of their child (Boyle & Scanlon, 2018). Educators should work diligently to make parents

feel valued so that a strong family-school partnership is developed.  Epstein had stated in one of

her later articles that, “the way schools care about children is reflected in the way schools care

about the children’s family” (Epstein, 1995).

There have been many strides in the right direction to develop strong parent teacher

relationships.  There are several benefits to parent involvement that directly affect the students’

success.  Having strong partnerships can greatly improve already existing school programs and

enhance the school climate (Epstein, 1995).  When parents are involved within the school

programs and see the inner workings of the institutions, they are likely to develop positive

attitudes towards educators (Davies, 1993).  If they see the educators as equal team members in

supporting their child, they will also be supportive of the school. If parents are more involved

with the school, they are likely to make connections with other families in the school which

could improve their experiences as well (Epstein, 1995).  There are other direct benefits of

positive parent teacher relationships and two-way communication. The parents benefit in

gaining a stronger sense of self-efficacy and control in their child’s education (Dominquez-

Pareto & Holloway, 2012).  There are also indicators that there are improved parent and child

relationships with an overall improved family well-being (Dominquez-Pareto & Holloway,

2012).  Some parents of children with disabilities are also involved on school support teams that

create an IEP for the student.  The IEP has set goals academically and for the future of the child.

Parents have reported that being a part of these IEP meetings has made them feel both trusted

and respected as equal decision makers in their child’s education (Fish, 2010).  On the other

hand, there are benefits that are more closely related to student success. When parents and

teachers have good communication, it will support the motivation of the child. They are likely to
focus on their learning of specific skill and content areas (Hindman, 2012). The textbook had

listed benefits identified by Bryan and Burstein in their 2004 article.  Some correlations they

made with increased parent involvement included: “higher academic achievement, improved

school attendance, increased cooperative behaviour, and lower dropout rates” (Boyle & Scanlon,

2018). All of these benefits listed make it obvious that having good communication and

building a strong family-school relationship is what educators and parents should be working

towards.  

The goal of educators should always be the individual success of their students.

Communication is very important in making this success a reality. When educators are working

with children that have disabilities, they should be extremely diligent in making sure they begin

and maintain communication with the parents early on in the students’ academic journey.  If

parents are included in the decision making process they are more likely to support educators.

When there is a strong partnership, and this partnership develops common goals for the student,

then students will benefit and find success in school.

 Works Cited

Boyle, J., & Scanlon, D. (2018). Methods and Strategies for teaching students with high   incidence

disabilities, 2nd Edition. Chapter 3: Working with Families and Transitions: (79-100).

Christenson, S. L. (2004) “The Family-School Partnership: An Opportunity to Promote the Learning

Competence of All Students”, School Psychology Review: Bethesda, Vol. 33, Iss. 1: (83-104).

Davies, D. (1993) “Benefits and barriers to parent involvement: From Portugal to Boston to Liverpool”,

Families and Schools in a Pluralistic Society, books.google.com.

Delgado-Gaitan, Concha, (1991) "Involving Parents in the Schools: A Process of Empowerment,"

American Journal of Education 100, no. 1: (20-46).

Dominquez-Pareto, I. & Holloway, S. D., (2012) “Children with Disabilities, Families, and Public

Institutions”, Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks,

California.  Vol. 1: (326-329).

Epstein, J. L. (1986) "Parents' Reactions to Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement," The Elementary

School Journal 86, no. 3: (277-294).

Epstein, J. L. (1995) “School/Family/Community Partnerships” Bloomington Vol. 76, Iss.9: (701).

Fish, Wade W. (2008) “The IEP Meeting: Perceptions of Parents of Students Who Receive Special

Education Services”, Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth,

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Hindman, Annemarie. (2012) “Parent Teacher Communication” Encyclopedia of Diversity in

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Holloway, S. D., & Dominquez-Pareto, I. (2012) “Families of Children with Disabilities”, Encyclopedia

of Diversity in Education, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.  Vol. 2: (875-878).

Hutchins, Darcy J. (2012) “Families and Schools”, Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education, Sage

Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.  Vol. 2: (873-875).

Sanfelippo, J., & Sinanis, T. (2016) “Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That

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