Building Constructive Partnerships with Parents for Successful IEP Outcomes

Abstract

Several studies have highlighted how powerful parental involvement can be when it comes to student success, and even more so when an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is in place. Parents act not only as a child’s advocates education agents throughout their schooling but are also the most stable presence to ac- company the child through life.

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SPECIAL ISSUE, SUMMER 2024
Building Constructive Partnerships with Parents for Successful IEP
Outcomes
Line Massé1, Jeanne Chouinard2, Nancy Gaudreau3 and Marie-Pier Guimont4
1. Ph.D., Full Professor, Department of psychoeducation, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
2. Master’s Student, Faculty of Education, Université Laval.
3. Ph.D., Full Professor, Faculty of Education, Université Laval.
4. Ph.D., Psychologist and Counsellor, Pointe-de-l’Île School Service Centre.
Parental involvement has been quite no-
tably associated with greater student
retention and perseverance, with high-
er academic aspirations, with greater
homework completion rates, with better
social-emotional development, with few-
er behavioural transgressions, and with
more positive overall attitudes towards
school as a whole (Desbiens et al., 2020).
When drawing up an IEP, parents appear
to be best placed to defend their child’s
interests ; moreover, their inclusion in
the IEP meeting process helps everyone
to see the child as a “whole” individual
(Hebel & Persitz, 2014). Furthermore, pa-
rental involvement in IEPs has been linked
to higher chances of achieving IEP targets
and to increased student engagement (Se-
bastian et al., 2017). Conversely, a lack of
parental involvement has been shown to
have an adverse impact on an IEP’s poten-
tial to effect the desired change (Níbhroin,
2020).
After a quick look at some of the chal-
lenges faced by parents concerning their
involvement in their child’s schooling, we
will then offer up some professional tips
on how to build constructive partnerships
with parents.
Challenges Parents Face
Being confronted with executive func-
tion deficits - and more specifically with
emotional and behavioural self-regulation
issues - can make the daily school rou-
tine and homework routine quite arduous
and exasperating, boosting tensions in the
Several studies have highlighted
how powerful parental involvement
can be when it comes to student
success, and even more so when an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
is in place. Parents act not only as a
child’s advocates education agents
throughout their schooling but are
also the most stable presence to ac-
company the child through life.
day-to-day family setting (Mautone et al.,
2014). The situation worsens when a child
also presents with learning difficulties.
Many parents of children presenting with
social, emotional and behavioural difficul-
ties (SEBD) report that relationships with
school personnel can be somewhat tax-
ing, as teachers often submit complaints
about their child’s behaviours. Several
factors would seem to adversely impact
parental involvement in the child’s school
life (Bélanger & Saint-Pierre, 2019 ; Gwer-
man-Jones et al.,2015), and those would
be :
• not listening to a parent’s perspectives
on their own child and/or non-acknow-
ledgement of their position as an ex-
pert on their child’s reality;
• a lack of awareness of certain beha-
vioural profiles and even different for-
ms of prejudice towards them;
• the fact that parents are only contacted
when something goes wrong, never for
positive reasons;
• assigning blame based on the paren-
ting approach;
• general indifference towards and igno-
rance as to religious beliefs and/or
cultural standards.
Parents often get the impression that they
are being accused of being bad parents
or that they have caused the troublesome
behaviours in their own child. In the case
of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), some parents feel unduly pres-
sured, by the school or its staff, to get
their child diagnosed and medicated.
While parents ought to be treated as part-
ners working in conjunction with school
teams on any key decision-making, they do
not feel they are being treated as equals at
all (Zeitlin & Curcic, 2013). Some parents
report that this general sense of inequality
or disparity - whether due to school staff
touting themselves as irrefutable experts
or simply due to common parental fears of
being unqualified to give an opinion or un-
fairly judged - hinders relationships with
school personnel and interferes with the
prospects of cooperation. Similarly, some
report feeling as though IEP decisions
have been settled prior to the consensus
meeting, before they have a chance at any
input, or that their suggestions are simply
brushed aside (Bélanger & Saint-Pierre,
2019 ; Zeitlin & Curcic, 2013). As far as
the IEP itself, while the majority of parents
consider it necessary, they often find it a
rather inhospitable process that doesn’t
do much to foster open communication
and collaboration between parties (Zeitlin
& Curcic, 2013).
Module 1

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Keeping Parents Informed
Regular interaction with parents is a crit-
ical success factor in securing their in-
volvement in the child’s educational en-
deavours. Various school-related topics
can be broached as a means of interact-
ing. Here are some ways you might alle-
viate some parental hardship and enhance
school-family cooperation on IEPs.
Explaining School
Operating Standards
Start off the school year by enlightening
parents and broaching key guidelines,
such as behavioural requirements, perfor-
mance expectations, program objectives,
the ins and outs of classroom standards,
typical homework assignments and at-
home revision exercises, normal time in-
vestment on homework, tips to help chil-
dren study well, best way to reach each
other in case any issues arise, as well as
any special accommodations and/or spe-
cialist services available to them either at
or through the school (e.g. list of special-
ists, homework assistance programs, tu-
toring options). Positive connections made
prior to any adverse incidents will greatly
facilitate future interactions whenever a
delicate situation arises.
Progressive Reporting
Never wait for a situation to completely
deteriorate before contacting parents. It’s
important to broach any challenges a child
is facing at the first signs of any learn-
ing or behavioural struggles and to notify
parents using the agreed-upon commu-
nication method (a note in their planner
or agenda, an email, a phone call or an
in-person meeting). Your messages should
state a child’s positive aspects (new skills,
progress) and negative aspects (things to
work on, difficulties), and include some
possible solutions, when applicable. For
the purpose of motivation and coopera-
tion, it’s crucial to also let parents know
when their child is doing all right and
things are going smoothly.
Communication must be a two-way
street as parents’ voices also need
to be heard.
Many parents think twice about informing
the school of their child’s challenges for
fear of their child being labelled or stig-
matized (Gwernan-Jones et al., 2015).
We must encourage parents to share as
much pertinent information as possible,
reassuring them that, given the intimate
nature of the parent-child relationship,
their views and insights on their child will
be seen as expertise. Teachers should be
encouraging parents to contact them with
an outline of their child’s strengths, par-
ticular needs and any methods, tools or
practices that have proven successful in
the past.
In cases where formal assessments have
been carried out, parents should be asked
to share the findings and pass along any
recommendations for educational accom-
modations. The full assessment reports
should be sent to the relevant school
specialists who can then deem which ele-
ments to share with the various teaching
staff and how to best do so. It would be
wise to ask parents to let teachers know
when any significant events occur that
could affect the child’s mood or attitudes
at school (e.g. a separation, a new sibling
or a change in medication). If a teacher
appears unwilling or reluctant, parents
can always reach out to a third party
(such as the school management team ;
a school psychologist, special educator,
social worker or psycho-educator ; or any
other consultant they may have worked
with in the past) to get help establishing
a constructive dialogue with the teacher.
Encouraging Parental Involve-
ment in the Child’s Education
Parental involvement in a child’s educa-
tion comprises several different process-
es or actions that support educational
success and/or personal development
(Mautone et al., 2014).
Explicitly Valuing Education
Educators and school teams might want to
point out how strongly a parent’s attitudes
towards schools or towards education can
inadvertently influence a child’s. When a
child feels that their parents place value
on schooling, it makes a difference. Here
are some ways to do so :
• Parents can let their child know how
important education and school success
can be.
• Parents can inspire children to read and
acquire knowledge.
• Parents can ask about what was taught
or learned each day and enquire about
homework assignments.
• Parents can check on progress and per-
formance, and provide encouragement.
Homework and Schoolwork Supervision
Parents sometimes erroneously believe
that homework supervision requires them
to be able to teach or explain concepts that
children didn’t fully grasp in class or that

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they should be correcting the children’s
mistakes in their homework assignments.
Teachers might do well to explain that the
role is closer to that of a coach, support-
er, motivator or facilitator – supplying a
physical and psychological setting that is
optimal for getting homework done.
Parental Participation in School Life
Schools can foster parental participation
in school life. Participation might be in the
form of becoming a classroom volunteer
or joining the class to help supervise on
excursions. Parents whose children are
known to have behavioural challenges re-
port that this exact kind of involvement
aids in developing closer ties with their
children’s teachers, as well as with other
school staff members. Having closer ties
facilitates cooperation when a less-desir-
able situation arises (Gwernan-Jones et
al., 2015).
Fostering More Active Parental
Roles Throughout the IEP
Process
During IEP Consensus Meetings, parents
sometimes wrongly get the impression
that they have only a background role to
play, limited solely to reporting on their
child’s home life or being told how their
child performs at school – they are not
aware that they have influence over how
things are to be done or over the final de-
cisions made. There are specific actions
that can be undertaken in order to foster
active parental participation and optimal
parental engagement.
Parental Readiness
When an IEP is first called for, teachers
and staff can proceed by immediately pro-
viding parents with information as to its
purpose, as to the specific steps and stag-
es involved, as to a parent’s role at each
step along the way, as to who can be pres-
ent during a Consensus Meeting, as well
as to the various services that the school
can potentially make available to support
students with SEBD. Table 1 clearly sum-
marizes ways in which parents might be
involved in each step of an IEP.
Constructive Communication
IEP meetings can be emotionally charged
events. When children qualify as having
SEBD, their parents feel judged for their
parenting approaches and concerned
Table 1
A Roadmap for Parental Involvement in the IEP Phases
Which IEP Phase ? A Parent’s To-Do List
Throughout all Phases • Establish and maintain open communication with all IEP parties
• Defend the child’s right to receive educational services that meet his/her own specific needs
• Foster the child’s self-determination skills
• Get involved - actively participate in the child’s school setting and educational endeavours
Formal Review Phase • Observe and note down the child’s difficulties and challenges
• Report any observed challenges to the teacher or School Principal
• Familiarize self with IEP processes and procedures
Consulting and Needs
Assessment Phase
• Read over the child’s report cards, grades, homework and assessments to get a picture of the relevant
strengths and weaknesses
• Monitor the child while engaging in a range of different activities in a range of different contexts, taking
note of which situations they navigate well and when they require extra support or assistance
• Talk openly to the child about their strengths and challenges, as well as their interests, hopes and
dreams, educational needs and overall school experience
• Note down any pertinent information on the child’s past experiences or background which may help the
other parties to better understand the child’s current challenges
• Build a profile of the child
• Share all relevant information with the person in charge of data gathering for the child’s file
• When there is a current or previous IEP in circulation, read it over carefully ; ask yourself how pertinent
the various methods were and whether the desired targets were met
• Think over the kind of progress we want to make, what targets to set, which methods to try and what
solutions to propose for the child’s IEP ; then try to prioritize them
Consensus Phase • Prepare any IEP-related questions in advance ; concerning the child’s particular circumstances and/or
services available through the school
• Advise the IEP Team if a trusted third party will be joining you at the meeting (relative, association, etc.)
• Share any new information on the child that perhaps wasn’t shared during the prior phases
• Suggest things that could be done at home to help the child work towards the targets we’re choosing
• Take a pro-active role in discussing solutions and in making decisions about the child’s priorities, needs,
targets and methods
Implementation Phase • Set up all the necessary IEP methods and tools at home
• Encourage the child to try out a couple of methods from the IEP and note how they pan out
• If needed, set up an incentive system (using a daily tracking system) as a means to motivate the child in
working towards the designated IEP Targets
• Check in with the child to see how they like the new methods and measures that are in place both at
home and at school
• Work cooperatively and communicate regularly with the education team to share and discuss progress,
problems encountered and the effectiveness of different methods used
Source : Massé & Gaudreau (2021).

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that their children are seen solely for
their problematic facets (Bélanger & St-
Pierre, 2019). Some even find that edu-
cation professionals use too much unfa-
miliar terminology or incomprehensible
jargon and they don’t dare interrupt to
ask a professional to reframe, rephrase
or clarify the wording (Cioè-Peña, 2020).
Education professionals should aim to use
plain language when talking to parents
about students. Lastly, when a parent’s
mastery of French is lacking and hence
presents a barrier to their involvement
and participation, an interpreter would be
ideal – whether professionally trained or
just someone from their entourage who
can facilitate interactions between parties
(Cioè-Peña, 2020). Inset 1 contains strat-
egies to foster cooperative and commu-
nicative relationships with parents during
IEP conversations.
Timely Intervals for IEP
Follow-Up
Parents often mention there is minimal
communication and very few updates from
the school side beyond the IEP Consensus
Meeting (Ní Bhroin & King, 2020 ; Zeitlin &
Curcic, 2013). Better parental involvement
can generally be fostered by reporting
more regularly to parents, helping parents
track student progress, and giving sup-
portive tips on how to implement strate-
gies at home.
Closing Remarks
For parents to be more active in their chil-
dren’s educational endeavours, they must
know and understand their parental du-
ties, rights, and responsibilities pertaining
to such matters (Fédération de comité de
parents du Québec6, 2020). The “I have my
IEP !” tool kit contains a handy document
on this very topic (Massé et al., 2021).
A parent plays a fundamental role in a
child’s academic success, school life and
well-being. Hence, gearing up for respect-
ful and positive interactions with parents
from the outset will certainly give each
student a greater likelihood of success
with respect to both SEBD and their over-
all schooling. According to Desbiens and
colleagues (2020), the onus falls upon the
school to account for diverse family cul-
tures and structures and then to cultivate
the proper conditions for productive rela-
Keywords : IEP teams, family-school collaboration, family-school partnerships, school cooperation, individualized education plan, parental involvement, educational involvement.
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Enset 1
Strategies to Foster a Cooperative and Communicative Relationship
with Parents
• Emphasize how crucial the parent’s role is to successful IEP design and imple-
mentation.
• Ask parents to share impressions on their child’s current situation, e.g. get their
take on the most high-priority needs and have them suggest a few strategies
that might help.
• Use positive wording ; talk up the child’s strong points and good deeds so you
don’t focus solely on the struggles, failures and challenges.
• Use simple language, avoiding technical terms
• Probe to be sure that parents have a full grasp of the child’s situation as well as
the proposed initiatives, measures and tools to use.
• Use active listening techniques with parents.
• Don’t play the blame game.
• Show compassion with parents : Acknowledge that having negative emotions is
valid, allow plenty of time to formulate their thoughts, keep bringing focus back
to the child’s needs.
6. In English, equates to Quebec Federation of Parents’ Committees
tionships with parents – but above all, to
never stop tending to those relationships
all throughout the child’s schooling.