ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an important component of a special education administrator’s job, working with parents and guardians. All parents and teachers depend on administrative support to navigate increasingly challenging relationships in schools. This is especially critical in special education where changing diverse populations, including multicultural students and families and children with diverse needs, impact family-school relationships. Research indicates families’ attitudes towards schools are one of the biggest challenges in their school involvement. In order for education professionals to gain greater awareness of how personal and family cultures affect behaviors, they must understand how the intersection of diverse cultures impacts classroom dynamics and outcomes. In special education, there are many considerations necessary in order to make decisions on educational placements and actively prohibit discrimination. Special education administrators must assess familial collaborative needs while respecting the choices and involvement of families; the first step is to acknowledge and address the social constructs in which families exist.
