Improving School-to-Home Relationships: A Silver Lining to COVID-19

In today's social setting, with most school buildings closed and teaching being provided via virtual platforms and/or packet pick-ups or deliveries, teachers who already had in place an effective communication system and a well established rapport with the parents and families of their students are at a distinct advantage over those who may not have given enough attention to this aspect of the learning experience. 

Any teacher can benefit from a gain in awareness regarding complementary roles of parents and school personnel in the learning process, but for a special education professional such consciousness-raising is a necessity even in the best of times. In our COVID-19 reality, when so much depends on continuous learning in our students' homes, successful outcomes would be impossible without the involvement of parents and families. 

A look at Tharp's "Triadic Model of Consultation" (1975) can help to stimulate the awareness we need in order to face today's challenges. His model was an early effort to re-conceptualize the roles of special educators in the wake of PL 94-142 as special education became integrated with general education and special education teachers took on new roles as leaders of collaborative teams in inclusive school settings. 

Tharp's model proposed that social influence to affect behavior and improve educational outcomes is exerted by a "consultant," affecting the actions of a "mediator," who in turn influences the behavior of the "target." According to Tharp, there are many possibilities for who might perform any of these three functions. Many of us are used to, for example, a triad in which the special education teacher takes on the role of consultant, guiding the actions of a paraprofessional who functions as a mediator, influencing the behavior of a child or youth with an exceptionality. 

In any setting, there may be a flux in these inter-relationships; it is not uncommon, for example, that a student temporarily becomes the "consultant," while a thoughtful teacher purposefully transforms himself or herself into a "mediator" role or even functions as "target" in a contrived teaching-learning context. 

Today, an awareness of the potential benefits to the student of us seizing opportunities to shift and transform from one function to another in this consultation triad dynamic may enable teachers and schools to rediscover themselves in the process of responding to the technical, physical, and emotional challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. 

None of this can happen without attending to the relationships between schools and families. Central to an effective relationship is going to be the level of trust that exists between parents and teachers. In their landmark text, "Working with Parents and Families of Exceptional Children and Youth," Simpson and Mundschenk (2012) dedicated a chapter to the development of trust.

The meaningful participation of parents and professionals...will depend largely on the latter's capacity to establish conditions conducive to a cooperative and collaborative effort. Paramount among the factors associated with the development of the environment will be the educator's skill in establishing a relationship based on trust....Trust, in the context of parent-professional collaborative relationships, forms the foundation on which the conditions for achieving objectives grow.  (Simpson & Mundschenk, 1975, p. 99)

"As parents feel trusted and valued," explain Simpson and Mundschenk, "they are...more likely to contribute willingly to school efforts" (p. 100). According to those authors, "parents, family members, and educators involved in trusting collaborative relationships display confidence that agreed-on patterns of behavior will prevail."

Simpson and Mundschenk suggest there are three basic components of such relationships: 1) creation of an atmosphere with a shared feeling of safety; 2) teachers providing reassurance and modeling risk-taking themselves; and 3) parents and teachers reinforcing each other for trusting and collaborative efforts.

In today's reality of the COVID-19 crisis, this is where the real work needs to be done for America's schools to transition seamlessly onto virtual platforms for teaching and learning. A feeling of trust will not develop overnight, but the best time to start any initiative is the present--right now, today. 

In a recent tweet, Larry Ferlazzo (@LarryFerlazzo) made this announcement: "I am happy to say that, though it has taken the two weeks since our closure, I have now been in direct touch with every student in all of my classes. It was not easy" (March 31, 2020).

According to Simpson and Mundschenk (2012), "one of the primary ways that educators can establish the safe, trusting, and secure atmosphere needed for collaboration is through a display of warmth [they cite Rogers (1962) who called this an attitude of 'positive regard'] for the parents with whom they work" (pp. 101-102). 

Simpson and Mundschenk also stipulate that only by conveying their own "ability, benevolence, and integrity" can teachers begin to instill trust and "combat low levels of trust by actions indicating ability, benevolence, and integrity" (p. 102). According to these authors, "the professional must not expect parents and family members to display a willingness to enter into an interpersonal relationship until he or she has set the stage for this action" (p. 103).

[Teachers] must...demonstrate a willingness to show their humanness and to suggest that they may not have all the answers. Such conditions form the basic elements of effective collaboration.... [The] mother of an elementary-age boy confided it was only after a teacher acknowledged she did not have all the solutions to the boy's problems that the mother felt willing to share information and collaborate....Only after being asked to jointly develop a cooperative and collaborative plan was she willing to candidly provide the information needed to develop the intervention strategy. (Simpson & Mundschenk, 2012, p. 103)

In recent days, I have encouraged special education endorsement candidates who are presently teaching in Kansas schools to access an e-version of the Simpson and Mundschenk text (published by Pro-Ed) to use for free over the next two months (until May 25) as a special offer by the book vendor at https://www.about.redshelf.com/redshelfresponds . The full title of the Simpson and Mundschenk text is "Parents and Families of Exceptional Children and Youth: Techniques for Successful Conferencing and Collaboration" (eISBN-13 = 9781416410829). This opportunity is only available to university students, based on an e-mail address ending in "edu."

In the midst of a social crisis expected to take up to nearly a quarter of a million lives over the next three or four weeks, we nonetheless are being reminded every so often of "silver linings," and that is what the sudden pivot and transformation of schools and teaching to virtual continuous learning programs may well turn out to be, for American education and a renewed vitality in the relationships between teachers and families to support the success of today's children and youth. 

Additional related links:

IDEA During COVID-19: CEC Response to the CARES Act / March 31, 2020

https://cec.sped.org/news/CEC-Response-CARES-Act

Resources for Families: From Scholastic Magazine

https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/resources-for-families.html

Kansas Parent Information Resource Center

https://ksdetasn.org/kpirc/kansas-parent-information-resource-center

FREE Link to Recording of Webinar Supporting Families of Immigrants & Refugees during Remote Learning / Laura Gardner, Founder of Immigrant Connections, Social Worker and Consultant, joined Carol Salva and Valentina Gonzalez to discuss some of the most important considerations as we aim to support Immigrant and Refugee students and their families during this time of social distancing.

https://seidlitzeducation.com/imm%2Fref-remote-learning

Parents and the Community as Springboards in Achieving Culturally Diverse Inclusivity / By Sawsan Jaber Ph.D.

https://publications.catstonepress.com/i/1180292-fall-2019/33?

7 Ways to Maintain Relationships During Your School Closure / By Sarah Gonser

https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-maintain-relationships-during-your-school-closure

Collaborating with Families - PD Module at the IRIS Center

Designed to help teachers build positive relationships with families, this module highlights the diversity of families and addresses the factors that school personnel should understand about working with the families of children with disabilities

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/

IRIS Module, page 7: Respecting Families

In a school’s efforts to make families feel welcome, the importance of showing proper respect cannot be overstated. Indeed, parents often report that they do not feel respected by school personnel.

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/cresource/q2/p07/

CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON EDUCATION, DIVERSITY, AND EXCELLENCE (CREDE) / Founded by the same Roland Tharp who innovated the triadic model of consultation

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/coe/crede/