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The Challenge of Parent Partnerships 

Some teachers of students with disabilities consider dealing with difficult parents to be one of the most stressful parts of the job. *

*Haydon, T., Leko, M. M., & Stevens, D. (2018). Teacher stress:  Sources, effects, and protective factors. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 31(2).

My Research

In 2022, I conducted a qualitative research study.*  I wanted to know:

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  • How do teachers of students with disabilities describe and understand their experiences collaborating with their students’ parents?

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  • What factors shape the perceptions of teachers’ effectiveness in supporting this collaboration?  

 

After conducting and analyzing 10  interviews , I identified the following 4 themes:

  • Yearning to be trusted

  • Lacking training and support: “Desperate for help"

  • “You can’t take it personally”: Embracing the paradox

  • Striving to access empathy

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My findings showed that teachers want connection and collaboration with their students’ parents, but need more professional development and support to do so consistently and effectively.

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​To highlight the participants' voices and bring richness to their stories, I created videos that explain the themes.​ Perhaps you may see yourself in some of the experiences they shared. 

 

* Chase, B. (2024). Parents as partners: Exploring the experiences of students with disabilities. Children and Schools.

In this video, hear about why it is so important to teachers that parents trust them, and why it's so difficult when they do not. 

Theme One:

Yearning To Be Trusted

In this video, teachers discuss their lack of training the desire for more support, and why this issue is so important to them. 

Theme Two:

Lacking Training and Support

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In this video, teachers talked about both taking, and not taking, 

parent actions personally. Listen to teachers discuss how and why they filter out negative feedback, but take positive feedback to heart. 

Theme Three:

You Can't Take It Personally

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In this video, teachers reflect on when they easily experience empathy, and circumstances where empathy is harder to access.

Theme Four:

Striving To Access Empathy

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