On-the-Job Practices of Early Childhood Special Education Providers Trained in Family-Centered Practices

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the use of family-centered practices by graduates of two early childhood special education personnel preparation programs that embedded family-centered pedagogy and involvement in all coursework. Three cohorts, involving 19 graduates employed in 19 different programs located in six states, participated in individually administered interviews to identify their perspectives about and use of family-centered practices in their work environments. All graduates were committed to and described using family-centered practices, but the large majority of graduates also identified significant barriers to using family-centered practices, including lack of support from colleagues and administrators and lack of policies related to working with families. Implications for preservice preparation, policy makers, and service programs are discussed.

The practicum in preservice teacher education: a review of empirical studies

“…Goal 2: getting to know school environment 18 References: Almarza (2005), Ariav (2001), Bangel et al (2006), Brindley et al (2009), Chang, Early, andWinton (2005), Doppen (2007), Epanchin and Colucci (2002), Goodnough et al (2009), Lomeli et al (2006, Malewski and Phillion (2009), Murray and Mandell (2006), Pence and Gillivray (2008), Proctor et al (2001), Reichel et al (2002), Nelson (2008), Santoro and Allard (2005), Sleeter (2001), Thompson and Smith (2005), Velez-Rendon (2006), Yendol-Hoppey (2007).…”

“…The largest cluster, consisting of 20 different goals, had the stated objective that preservice teachers (2000), Basham et al (2005), Blasi (2002), Brown and Warschauer (2006), Brush et al (2003), Dawson (2006), Doering et al (2003), Edwards, Carr, and Siegel (2006), Frykholm and Glasson (2005), Garton and Cano (1996), West, Wright, Gabbitas, and Graham (2006), Lee and Wu (2006), Ma, Lai, Williams, Prejean, and Ford (2008), Murray and Mandell (2006), Nevin et al (2002), Pope et al (2005), Snider (2002.…”

Building Parent/Professional Partnerships: An Innovative Approach for Teacher Education

“…If educators are not adequately trained, they may engage in more traditional, or hierarchical, rather than collaborative relationships in which both parents and professionals have parity in educational decisions and their contributions are equally valued. Thus, more focused preparation that includes multiple opporParent/Professional Partnerships 89 tunities for students to interact with parents at the preservice level is needed to equip teachers with the knowledge, abilities, and confidence to effectively partner with parents (Murray & Mandell, 2006).…”

Building Bridges in Teacher Education: Creating Partnerships With Parents

“…Preservice teachers and school psychologists have little experience interacting with families of children with disabilities during their preparation (Epstein, 2005;Epstein & Sanders, 2006;Hedges & Gibbs, 2005;Hoover-Dempsey et al, 2002) and they often feel uncomfortable or unprepared for these situations (Bramston & Rice, 2000). Therefore, teacher education programs should ensure that candidates have access to these opportunities that allow them to build on the confidence in this new knowledge and ultimately enhance the parent-professional partnership (Murray & Mandell, 2006). Previous research (Epstein, 2005;Forlin & Hopewell, 2006;Hoover-Dempsey et al, 2002;Pinkus, 2005) indicates that establishing relationships with families can be difficult for teachers.…”

“…type of preparation will build preservice teachers' confidence in their ability to collaborate effectively with parents and deepen their knowledge of how to approach parents as partners (Murray & Mandell, 2006).…”