The Power of Positive Parent-Educator Partnerships
The Power of Building Positive Parent-Educator Partnerships
"An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing. " - Dale Carnegie
What, another meeting? Oh No!
Anxiety and stress. I don’t want to go into a room with strangers and feel alone, knowing they are all colleagues. How can we change this situation?
Have a Pre-meeting.
What is it? The pre-meeting uses a small, intimate meeting format, which allows everyone’s voice to be heard and their ideas considered. It can be a powerful tool and becomes the first meeting in the IEP process.
A Pre-IEP meeting between parents and a case manager or school administrator leads to more productive and shorter IEP meetings. Yet, they are viewed as an extra meeting and require parents to take time away from their jobs or other responsibilities. This is why educators and parents are resistant to having this extra meeting.
We believe these meetings build trust, which is why we suggest having one or more pre-meetings between the administrator, or case manager, and parents before IEP meetings. This type of meeting can be a powerful tool and becomes the first meeting in the IEP process.
Using a small intimate meeting format allows everyone’s voice to be heard. The pre-meeting concept is not found in education handbooks or government documents. Yet, it gives parents and educators a platform to clarify the purpose of the IEP meeting, share and discuss data, and review the procedures outlined by state and federal laws. It allows parents to ask questions and better understand the IEP process without feeling threatened or intimidated.
The concept of having a Pre-IEP meeting may be rejected because everyone views it as just another meeting and does not understand its purpose. Trust emerges when casual meetings are held because everyone starts to hear one another’s perspective. The pre-meeting also leads to creative opportunities, such as creating a ‘cheat sheet. This is a one-pager filled with definitions and terminology that will be used at the IEP meeting.
If you would like to learn more about the value of a PRE-MEETING and how to build a repertoire of techniques to help parents and educators effectively communicate with each other as partners, submit a request to speak with Peggy and Tamara.
The Power of Building Positive
Parent-Educator Partnerships
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