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Allied Forces: The Working Alliance For Meaningful Parenteducator Partnerships In Special Education, Danielle Magaldi-Dopman, Timothy Conway

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Strong parent-educator partnerships in special education yield benefits for parents, teachers and students, however there are often obstacles to the development of these partnerships, and teacher preparation programs and professional development are often deficient in preparing special education teachers for the complexities of this relationship building. In the following, the varied interpretations of parental involvement are explored, followed by a discussion of some of the significant obstacles to strong parent-teacher partnerships in special education classrooms. Authors introduce the working alliance as a solution for framing positive parent-educator relationships. Finally, the three elements of a working alliance are described with an …