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This document from the Institute for Educational Leadership, Taking It to the Next Level: Strengthening and Sustaining Family Engagement through Integrated, Systemic Practice, is designed to: Provide clarity on what systemic engagement is and what it looks like in practice; Provide an analysis of how systemic practices are being implemented in the family and community engagement […]
A Tale of Two Conversations is a two-part video showing actors playing a parent of a child with a disability and a school administrator. The meeting was requested by the parent and takes place in the administrator’s office. Take One shows the parent and administrator talking about the child’s special education program. They are talking, but not listening. Their communication is unproductive. Take Two shows each person using more effective communication skills.
Both video conversations are available for viewing online at CADRE, as is a companion Study Guidethat looks more deeply into the effective communication skills shown in the second video. Read more about and access the resources here.
There are times when you, as a parent, may want to communicate in writing with your child’s school about some problem or concern with your child’s education or well-being. This page presents a model letter or email you might write to request mediation as an approach to resolving a dispute with your child’s school.
(2019, July) | Available in English and Spanish | Useful for sharing with families of children with disabilities. Whether the child is starting a new school year or has a new Individualized Education Program (IEP), this Great Schools article will help parents how to get things started on the right foot. https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/8-steps-to-kicking-off-your-childs-iep-the-right-way/ In Spanish | […]
For parents of children with disabilities, writing a back-to-school introduction letter to their child’s teacher can help get the school year off to a good start. Parents can use such a letter to share important facts about their son or daughter, what accommodations the child is to receive, and any specifics of his or her IEP. Understood.org provides two model letters to guide parents (one to introduce grade-schoolers and another to introduce middle-schoolers). Both are available in English and Spanish. View or download the letters here.
