More than 6 million students receive exceptional student education services, according to the U.S. Department of Education. In 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs found that students with specific learning disabilities accounted for almost half (47.4%) of all students with disabilities, which was roughly 2.9 million students being served (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Students with disabilities drop out of high school at about twice the rate of general education students (Thurlow, Sinclair, and Johnson, 2002). They are also less likely to go back and earn their high school diploma as compared to their counterparts without disabilities. School administrators and personnel are encouraged to create collaborative partnerships with parents and after-school programs to improve outcomes for these students. Recommendations for schools are provided in this 3-part series entitled “Students with Disabilities: Creating Collaborative Partnership.”

Tips for Schools

1. Minimize language barriers for parents and students by providing translators and translating necessary paperwork.

2. Hold a special orientation day for parents with students with disabilities before the

start of school.

3. Introduce key staff to parents and students and their respective job duties as they related to facilitating ESE services.

4. Include disability resources in the school’s student handbook. If there is not a
school specific handbook, provide parents with a packet listing relevant resources available at the school, in the community, and on the internet.

5. Support or provide general education teachers with training and support relevant to providing instructional services to students with disabilities.

6. Invite guest speakers to participate in PTA or parent meetings to educate parents about their child’s disability and/or available resources.

7. Encourage and stress the importance to parents regarding their participation in their child’s IEP meetings.

8. Encourage and allow parents to bring advocates to their child’s IEP meetings.

9. Don’t talk down or over parents. Instead of speaking in acronyms or technical language, try to speak in a way that facilitates parent understanding of the educational process.

10. Make sure parents understand the process, timeline and consequences of all decisions made regarding their child’s education.

11. Encourage parents to have their child to participate in either on or off-site
after-school programs.

12. Include a listing of local after-school programs in introductory packets sent out to parents during the first few weeks of school.

13. Network with community providers to create collaborative partnerships.

14. Invite community providers to speak with appropriate staff regarding their services to connect students with available community programs and services.

15. Collaborate with afterschool programs to reinforce instructional learning.

Resources:

Learning Disability Association of America (LDA)
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
http://www.ldaamerica.org/

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
PO Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013
http://www.kidsource.com/NICHCY/

By: Felecia Sheffield PhD