November Educational Tips Newsletter
Studies continue to show that the more we educate and train parents, guardians, youth and professionals on the various systems with which they are involved, the better outcomes and increased collaboration we see. The National Academy of Sciences (2019) found that, “several recent psychological and neuroscientific studies have demonstrated that parents continue to matter for adolescents in decision making, in contrast to common assumptions that parents begin to ‘matter less’ as peers ‘matter more’ to adolescents”. When parents/guardians show engagement we see attendance improve and behaviors decline. Part of a parent/guardian being able to engage and advocate for their youth is through systems education. Taking time to teach our clients as we move through the motions about the systems we work within daily can make all the difference. As an Educational Consultant, I always check in with clients during the course of a meeting to make sure they understand the what and the why. I also take the time to prepare families for school meetings by creating agendas and explaining processes. This is particularly true with Special Education and disciplinary proceedings where meetings often move quickly and acronyms are often used that clients may not know. This is particularly of importance if there is a language barrier as those important terms might translate differently.
On that same note, cross agency trainings are crucial to team collaboration across systems. If we do not understand the systems we are working with consistently we can make assumptions about their roles and their ability to assist. This can lead to miscommunications that can hinder the best laid plans. Cross agency trainings allow for a full understanding of various roles and systems involved in direct services including the underlying principles held by schools, agencies, youth and their families. In the book, “Educational of Court Involved Youth: A Guide for Counties, Systems and Individuals (Bishop, 2018), Chapter 15 is dedicated to the development of cross agency trainings in collaboration with schools and how you can implement in your county. Facilitating regular cross systems training is a, “key tool for breaking down systems silos among agencies” (Siegle et al., 2014) and can easily be created locally. Educational planning for court involved youth is a team effort!
Thanks for reading! Please reach out with any comments, questions or feedback! If you have requests for training topics, please let me know!
A reminder about our upcoming virtual training: “The Ins and Outs of Special Education” flyer is attached. More trainings to come!!!
Education resources for families:
PACER www.pacer.org
Peak Parent Center www.peakparent.org
ADDiTUDE Magazine www.additudemag.com
The Arc www.arcadams.org