Collaboration has always been a part of school environments and cultures, but it has only been emphasized as a critical aspect of education for students with disabilities in the last 25 years.
Collaboration consists of individuals working together toward a common goal. Definitions of collaboration share common elements of voluntariness; sharing resources, responsibility, and decision making; achieving common goals; community building; parity; levels of work; and planned or spontaneous processes.
Conceptual, pragmatic, attitudinal, and professional barriers to collaboration can exist.
Several types of collaborative teams may exist in the special education process. Team processes and outcomes are important in the collaborative process.
What Are the Best Practices for Collaboration between Schools and Families?
Student involvement in IEP planning can be encouraged by ensuring parents know their child is invited to attend, providing students with background knowledge, focusing on strengths rather than deficits only, increasing student responsibility for planning, and involving peers and community members involved in the student's life.
Person-centered planning and MAPs are methods that focus on the student and encourage greater involvement of the student, peers, and other parties aside from educators in planning and programming.
Parents can have differing levels of involvement in planning from basic awareness and participation to being fully participating team members. Professionals should respect these different levels while encouraging increased parent involvement.
Siblings of students with disabilities can be encouraged to participate by receiving information, providing opportunities to observe and talk with school personnel, becoming involved with other siblings of students with disabilities, and directly participating in decision-making meetings.
Parents and educators can come into conflict. Parents' wishes should not be ignored; they should not be blamed for their child's problems. Educators need to recognize the important role parents play in the education of the student.
Culturally diverse families' participation can be encouraged through using culturally responsive methods of communication, showing appreciation for their diversity, and ensuring policies, procedures, and activities reduce the likelihood of prejudice.
What Are the Best Practices for Collaboration among School Personnel?
Co-teaching can be described using a variety of models including one teach, one observe; one teach, one drift; station teaching; parallel teaching; alternative teaching; and team teaching.
Administrators may serve as the facilitators of collaboration and as educational leaders. Administrators may need training themselves in developing collaboration skills and encouraging it among teachers.
Paraprofessionals may provide specific support in a classroom or to a specific student or students. Paraprofessionals need training and supervision, and should not be expected to fulfill the role of a teacher.
Involving related services personnel in planning and programming is essential to ensure a comprehensive approach to education.
What Are the Best Practices for Collaboration among Schools and Communities?
Collaboration among service providers in early childhood programs is necessary as personnel from a number of agencies may be involved.
Full-service schools that provide an array of services such as before and after school care, recreation, health services, and counseling can be one method by which families can gain access to a collaborative approach to service delivery.
Transition to adult living services requires a coordinated set of activities that include outcomes related to employment, postsecondary education, independent living, and community participation. Coordinating these activities requires a collaborative team approach and should encourage students to develop self-determination skills.
Interagency collaborative teams, established by interagency agreements, outline the shared responsibilities among educational and community agencies in working with students and families in transition planning and programming.
