Parental Involvement in Educational Process for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Changes in family and social structure and demographic changes had significantly changed the role of the school in society, and therefore the role of parents in schools’ responsibilities. One of the most important thing for good education of the child is the closer partnership between parents and teachers. The purpose of this study is to present the Model for Conceptualizing Parental Involvement, which was originally designed for teachers and parents of children with special needs, but later was realized that with small adjustments it can be used by all teachers and parents. The model consists of two pyramids, one of them represents the hierarchy of parental needs and the other is a hierarchy of parental strengths and possible contributions. Both pyramids visually demonstrate different levels of needs and contributions of parents. Research shows that the involvement of parents in the educational process affects very positive for the students, in terms of increased regularity in attending classes, better grades, increased independence, self-esteem, and confidence.