Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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Date of Graduation
Spring 2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities
Advisor(s)
Raymond Rodriguez
Laura Desportes
Abstract
The objective of this Senior Honors Project was to investigate schools’ efforts to collaborate with parents of children receiving special education services within Harrisonburg City Public Schools in the State of Virginia. The study had two primary purposes.
The first was to empower parents by educating them about special education laws and their rights concerning how to obtain services for their child. The workshops, presented by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), addressed areas such as communication skills and interpersonal skills for the purposes of bolstering relationships between schools and parents.
Second, since schools sometimes fail to effectively involve parents of students with disabilities in their child’s education, parents do not get involved as much as they should in order to support their child’s educational progress. (Zetlin & Curcic, 2013; Bacon & Causton-Theoharis, 2015; Rodriguez, Blatz & Elbaum, 2014). Therefore, a study was conducted using surveys and focus group interviews to obtain information about parents’ perceptions of schools’ efforts to facilitate their involvement. This feedback led to recommendations on best practices schools may use to collaborate with families more effectively.
Recommended Citation
Lessard, Stephanie A., "Parents of students with disabilities views of schools’ efforts to facilitate their involvement in their child’s educational progress" (2015). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 39.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/39
