Involving Parents of Students With Special Needs

Jill C. Dardig is a professor of education at Ohio Dominican University, where she teaches a variety of courses and supervises student teachers. She has trained intervention specialists for the past 30 years at the university and was the first recipient of Ohio Dominican's Booth-Ferris Master Faculty Award. Dardig has served as president of the Teacher Education Division of the Ohio Federation Council for Exceptional Children. She worked previously as a curriculum specialist for the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, a special education faculty member at Russell Sage College, a research assistant for the Northeast Regional Media Center for the Deaf, and a parent educator for Project Change. Dardig has written a variety of books and other publications about and for parents.

Special Feature Figures Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Introduction Parent Involvement Is Important and Up to You! Your Personal Philosophy of Parent Involvement 2. Getting Started Strategy 1: Personalized Letterhead Strategy 2: Parent Contact Log Strategy 3: Introductory Letter Strategy 4: Parent Volunteer Invitation 3. Designing Your Classroom to Educate Parents Strategy 5: The Visible Curriculum 4. Group Written Communication and Interaction Strategy 6: Suggestion Box Letter Strategy 7: Class Newsletter 5. Personalized Written Communication and Interaction Strategy 8: Weekly Progress Report Strategy 9: Parent Appreciation Letter Strategy 10: Print Resource Letter Strategy 11: Internet Resource Letter Strategy 12: E-mail Communication 6. Telephone Communication Strategy 13: Phone Call to an Organization Strategy 14: Phone Calls to Parents Strategy 15: Voicemail 7. In-Person Meetings Strategy 16: Parent Group Meetings Strategy 17: Pre-Conference Parent Survey Strategy 18: Tips for Successful Conferences 8. Helping Parents Teach Their Children at Home Strategy 19: IEP/IFSP Practice Letter Strategy 20: Home Activity Calendar Strategy 21: Home Response Cards Strategy 22: Make-It-Take-It Workshop Strategy 23: Summer Activities Letter 9. Challenges to Parent Involvement Strategy 24: Conflict Situations Obstacles to Parent Involvement 10. Staying Organized and Planning for Next Year Strategy 25: Parent Involvement Portfolio Parent Involvement Action Plan References Index

"This book makes a great contribution to the field of not only special education, but also general education. Teachers across specialties will find these strategies helpful for facilitating communication with parents and caregivers." -- Erin Jones, Special Education Teacher "Involving parents on a positive level is essential to educating all students, especially students with special needs. This book helps you with real-world situations-something that most college courses cannot prepare you for. Easy and user-friendly, this book provides you with strategies and tools to aid in communicating with parents." -- Laura Peterson, Special Education Teacher