What is your philosophy about working with parents/caregivers? What opportunities do you offer parents and caregivers to contribute to the class community?

Interview an Elementary Teacher in an Inclusive Classroom -Arrange a call, video chat, or in-person interview with a public-school teacher at the elementary level, preferably in the New York City DOE. For your paper, you will need to provide context about this teacher. What is your relationship to the interviewee? Please use pseudonyms for the teacher and his or her school. Describe the teacher’s current school (e.g., grades 1-6, K-3, grades, 4-6, grades 6-8, urban, suburban, rural). What is the teacher’s grade level and type of classroom (e.g., bridge class, co-teaching, inclusive)? How long has he or she been teaching? What kind of experience does this teacher have in working with students with IEPs? Interview Questions -What tools do you use to share communications between school and home (e.g., student assignment notebooks, family newsletters, classroom website, PTA meetings, IEP meetings, individual letters?) Be specific! (Ask for samples, if available.) -What is your philosophy about working with parents/caregivers? What opportunities do you offer parents and caregivers to contribute to the class community? How do you support parents and caregivers to support their children? What is a “model parent or caregiver” to you? Share an example of a parent or caregiver who demonstrated this ideal. Be specific. -How do you define inclusion? How do you think parents (with or without children with disabilities) feel about inclusion? How do you know? What is your opinion about inclusion, in general, and at your school? -What are any frustrations or concerns with parents or caregivers that you may currently have or experienced in the past? How did you address and/or resolve the issues? Be specific. -How would you describe the relationship between your school administration and families? Can you give examples? In what way do you think that your school administration influences teachers’ relationships with families? Do you have any suggestions for school-wide parent and family involvement? If so, describe. -What advice would you give teachers about working with parents and caregivers, particularly within an inclusive context? Interview with a Parent or Caregiver -Arrange an interview with a parent or caregiver of a New York City public school student (grades 1-6). For your paper, you will need to provide context about this parent or caregiver.

What is your relationship to the interviewee? What is the interviewee’s relationship to his or her child? (e.g., parent, grandparent, uncle/aunt; foster parent; other)? Please use pseudonyms for the parent or caregiver, the school, the child’s teacher, and the child. Describe the family context. Are there other children in the home? If so, describe. What kind of school does the child attend (e.g., grades 1-6, K-3, grades, 4-6, grades 6-8, urban, suburban, rural)? In what grade is the child? What kind of class does the child attend (e.g., bridge class, co-teaching, inclusive)? Does the family speak a language(s) other than English? Interview Questions -How does your child’s teacher communicate with you? Are you satisfied with the type and amount of communication? Why or why not? If not, what would you like to see changed or implemented to improve communication? -How do you feel about your past interactions with school personnel, such as the security guard, front office staff, the administration, teachers, etc. (Pay attention to the words that this parent uses in describing these interactions.) Do you feel welcome at your child’s school? Does your child feel welcome at school? Why or why not? -Do you go to school meetings and/or functions? Why or why not? If not, how could the school interest you or make it possible for you to do so? -Are you familiar with inclusion? If so, how would you describe it? What are your opinions and/or feelings about inclusion? -How would you like to see teachers involved with home and family? What is a “model teacher” to you? Can you give an example of an ideal teacher that your child had? Be specific. -How would you describe the relationship between the school administration and parents or caregivers at your child’s school? Why do you think this is? -Can you talk about any frustrations or concerns you currently have or have had with teachers or administration in the past? How did you address or resolve those issues? -What advice would you give teachers about working with parents, caregivers, and families? Conclusion -What are your conclusions based on the two interviews? What lingering questions do you have? -What did you learn from either or both interviewees that you think would work well in an inclusive classroom context and WHY? Be specific.