“According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the number of students classified as disabled and receiving associated accommodations within United States’ schools constitutes roughly 7.3 million or 14% of the total number of public-school students.“
While students with disabilities constitute a significant and valuable portion of the student population in America, we discovered that there are a plethora of obstacles and challenges which have contributed to the erosion of and, sometimes, non-existence of systems through which parents and educators can communicate and collaborate. Not surprisingly, it was found that the identified deficits in the previously mentioned topics concerning caregivers and educators have the profound capacity to cause significant negative impacts on student success and school equity.
“Especially within today’s times, there are a host of factors that have the capacity to interrupt parent-teacher relationships as well as impede student success.”
To further elaborate on our findings, our group noted that potential obstacles to caregiver-educator collaborations and eventual student success included items such as access to transportation, financial support, and the ability of the caregiver to actually visit and/or engage with school educators and staff. Another major factor that was found to significantly influence the above topics involved the caregiver’s awareness and access to available resources as well as support strategies that could be implemented outside of the classroom to not only encourage student success but also improve overall family well-being. Considering these elements together, it is evident that these factors have led to negative cumulative effects on caregiver-educator communication and collaborations and, thus, have notably contributed to the current issues with regard to the success of students with disabilities and educational equity.
“Even though parents of students with disabilities must face many challenges, success…can be attained with proper guidance, support, and intervention.”
Analyzing research findings from a plethora of scholarly, peer-reviewed sources, our group was able to identify a set of strategies and interventions that have been shown to improve student success and facilitate increased levels of equity.
- Placing focus on improving communication and collaboration between educators and caregivers significantly reduces barriers to student success and classroom/societal equity.
- Introducing caregivers to available resources allows for greater access to assets that can improve the situational and contextual dynamics of families.
- Open communication channels improve student educational success outcomes, family stability, and overall equity levels.