Proposed General Framework for Successful Involvement of Parents and Teachers in Inclusive Education in Laurel Elementary School in San Mateo, California
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.07.09.17Keywords:
Family-School Partnerships, Home-School Collaboration, Parent Engagement, Teacher CollaborationAbstract
This study explored the experiences of inclusion teachers and parents in supporting children with disabilities in an inclusive school setting. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and the principles of inclusive education, the research examined their roles, the challenges they encountered, and the strategies they used. It also analyzed how their involvement influenced students’ development to create a framework aimed to support collaboration.
A qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed. Purposive sampling techniques were used in the selection of inclusion teachers and actively involved parents. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through coding, theme clustering and triangulation to ensure the credibility of the data.
The findings revealed that inclusion is viewed as a shared responsibility in which teachers serve as advocates, facilitators and collaborators, while parents are bridges between home and school, academic supporters and providers of learning strategies. Teachers and parents faced interconnected systemic barriers, including communication gaps, parental denial, limited resources, time constraints and difficulties in understanding schoolwork. Effective practices included instructional differentiation, social-emotional learning (SEL) routines, home-school strategy alignment, multidisciplinary collaboration and multi-platform communication. Strong parent-teacher involvement was associated with students' academic performance, independence, emotional regulation and social skills. A five-part Inclusive Home-School Collaboration Framework was developed.
A five-part Inclusive Home-School Collaboration Framework was developed. The study concludes that sustainable inclusive education depends on coordinated home–school partnerships supported by adequate institutional resources.
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