This guide to fostering parent-teacher cooperation in the education of children with special needs, especially children with learning disabilities, offers a structure and process to maximize the effectiveness of parent-teacher meetings and other forms of communication. An introductory background chapter reviews the history of special education, testing issues, and placement and instruction issues. Specific attention is given to the state of the learning disability field. The eight chapters following the introduction each consider different aspects of the parent-teacher relationship. Discussions focus on: (1) parents as agents of change (their attitudes, adjustment, and advocacy role); (2) a structure for parent-teacher conferences (it is proposed that these should cover the child's social/emotional, physical, and academic behavior); (3) the steps in the conference process (observing, planning, implementing, evaluating, and modifying); (4) the development of thinking skills; (5) oral and written language development as parallel social interaction communication skills; (6) other factors that impact learning (e.g., changing expectations and school demands, regular classroom placement); and (7) other factors that influence educational outcomes (e.g., attitudes, beliefs, and commitments). The final chapter provides a review of the book's principles, emphasizing parent-teacher cooperation in the academic and social/emotional development of the child. (Contains 45 references.) (DB)