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ERIC Number: EJ1085720
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-308X
EISSN: N/A
Listening to Parents' Narratives: The Value of Authentic Experiences with Children with Disabilities and Their Families
Collier, Margo; Keefe, Elizabeth B.; Hirrel, Laura A.
School Community Journal, v25 n2 p221-242 2015
A serious gap exists within special education preparation programs; many neglect to adequately prepare teacher candidates to engage with parents of children with disabilities to create effective family-school-community collaboration. The following article describes the impact on the practices and dispositions of teacher candidates resulting from the implementation of a program called Families as Faculty (FAF), which was collaboratively designed and implemented by a university in the southwestern United States and the statewide Parent Training and Information Center. Teacher preparation programs providing students with authentic experiences to work collaboratively with parents can influence perceptions teacher candidates have toward parent involvement and collaboration. The present study was designed to examine the impact that the implementation of FAF in a graduate teacher preparation course had on teacher candidates' dispositions toward home-school collaboration. Data were collected during the course through teacher candidates' reflection papers and pre- and post-questionnaires. Additionally, the teacher candidates were administered a follow-up survey three years after they completed the course. Teacher candidates reported an increase in their understanding and appreciation of home-school collaboration following their experiences in FAF. Participants in the follow-up survey also indicated that these experiences continued to have long-lasting, positive impacts on their teaching practices and the school--family relationships they have formed with parents of children with disabilities.
Academic Development Institute. 121 North Kickapoo Street, Lincoln, IL 62656. Tel: 1-800-759-1495; Web site: http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A