Collaboration and Effective Partnerships Fall 2009

Components of Collaboration two or more parties work together parties collaborate as equal partners participation is voluntary responsibility is shared among the parties parties work toward a common goal Process is influenced by factors (such as school climate and culture) other than the parties themselves can be either a planned, formal process or a spontaneous, informal process resources are shared among parties leads to community building

Your Experience Reflect on your experience working on the Referral and Evaluation Pipeline project. How did your team reflect the components of effective collaboration?

Barriers to Collaboration Conceptual barriers Pragmatic barriers Attitudinal barriers Professional barriers

Samuel’s Story Consider Samuel’s story from the video clip. Who would need to be involved in Samuel’s IEP? What do you perceive will be the challenges and rewards of the collaboration process when including Samuel in the general education classroom?

Negotiation The Goal of Negotiation is: to produce a wise agreement if agreement is possible to produce an efficient, effective agreement to improve, or at least not damage, the relationship

4 Steps to Successful Negotiation Separate the people from the problem Focus on interests, not positions Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do Insist that the result be based on some objective criteria

Cultural Responsiveness in Education Use culturally responsive feedback and methods of communication. Show appreciation for and include cultural diversity in the curriculum and school activities, as well as during meetings with the family. Ensure that policies, procedures, and activities are in place to reduce the likelihood of prejudice.