TY - JOUR
T1 - “Every child that is a foster child is marked from the beginning”
T2 - The home-school communication experiences of foster parents of children with disabilities
AU - Mires, Carolyn B.
AU - Lee, David L.
AU - McNaughton, David
N1 - Funding Information:
The contents of this report were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H325D090042. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Patricia Gonzalez.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - This study investigated the perceptions of foster parents of children with disabilities concerning their interactions with school personnel. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 7 foster parents of 6 children with disabilities (age range = 5–16). A qualitative analysis of the interviews resulted in the identification of five thematic areas, including foster parent perceptions of: (a) the role of the foster parent, (b) the efficacy of the foster parent in helping the child learn, (c) invitations to involvement from the school (d) invitations to involvement from the child, and (e) foster child experiences in the school system. Marked differences were found in the perceptions of the perceptions in foster parents of elementary and secondary age students. It is clear that foster parents who take on an active role in their child's education experienced positive relationships with their child's school. Foster parents who take a passive role in their partnerships with the schools experienced increased difficulty maintaining motivation to continue in their efforts to increase collaboration and involvement with the schools. They indicated a sense of anger, distrust, and even hostility towards the schools. Based on the findings, recommendations are provided for improving home-school relationships, and addressing obstacles to successful school partnerships with foster families.
AB - This study investigated the perceptions of foster parents of children with disabilities concerning their interactions with school personnel. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 7 foster parents of 6 children with disabilities (age range = 5–16). A qualitative analysis of the interviews resulted in the identification of five thematic areas, including foster parent perceptions of: (a) the role of the foster parent, (b) the efficacy of the foster parent in helping the child learn, (c) invitations to involvement from the school (d) invitations to involvement from the child, and (e) foster child experiences in the school system. Marked differences were found in the perceptions of the perceptions in foster parents of elementary and secondary age students. It is clear that foster parents who take on an active role in their child's education experienced positive relationships with their child's school. Foster parents who take a passive role in their partnerships with the schools experienced increased difficulty maintaining motivation to continue in their efforts to increase collaboration and involvement with the schools. They indicated a sense of anger, distrust, and even hostility towards the schools. Based on the findings, recommendations are provided for improving home-school relationships, and addressing obstacles to successful school partnerships with foster families.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.07.023
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.07.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 28889915
AN - SCOPUS:85031042529
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 75
SP - 61
EP - 72
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
ER -
