The role of families in communicating and collaborating with schools has evolved over time. Today families and schools work more together than in previous times.

Collaboration is a style of interaction that involves parity, communication, and mutual goals. Benefits of collaboration include mutual support, shared knowledge, and supported student learning. Important elements of collaboration include parity, common goals, trust and respect, styles of communication, and cultural influences.

School personnel can avoid barriers to collaboration by engaging in specific behaviors:

• Avoid giving unsolicited advice or providing quick fixes to problems.
• Avoid minimizing feelings through false reassurances, cliches, and so forth.
• Ask appropriate questions and actively listen.
• Schedule meetings when you can focus your attention.
• Minimize interruptions.

The attitude with which individuals come together affects the success of the collaborative efforts. Collaborative attitudes include:

• Use descriptive messages, rather than evaluative ones.
• Use a collaborative message, rather than a controlling one.
• Use an honest approach, rather than a strategic one.
• Use an empathetic approach, rather than a neutral or casual one.
• Use an equal approach, rather than a superior one.
• Use a provisional approach, rather than a certain, definitive approach.

Educators should master foundations of good communication, including active listening, nonverbal communication, and verbal language.

When problem solving, educators should avoid emotional responses and rely on a step-by-step process:

1. Identify the problem.
2. Generate potential solutions.
3. Evaluate the potential solutions.
4. Implement the selected solutions.
5. Evaluate the results of the solution.

Conflict in education is unavoidable and neither good nor bad. Conflict can be resolved through the application of specific skills.

Reference:

Sileo, Nancy M. & Prater, Mary Anne (2012) Working with families of children with special needs : family and professional partnerships and roles. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.