Beyond "Involvement": Are elementary schools ready to be family-centered?

The purpose of this study was to understand parents' and educators' perspec tives of family-centered practices in the early elementary school grades (k indergarten through third grade). Eighty-eight special educators, 67 regula r educators, 75 parents of children with disabilities, and 46 parents of ty pically developing children completed a scale measuring perceptions of typi cal and ideal practices about the school's responsiveness to families, the quality of specialized services involving parents, the school atmosphere re garding parents, and how much the school encouraged parent advocacy. All gr oups favored more family-centered practices than they currently provided or received Families of children with disabilities reported (a) receiving les s family-centered services than reported by other families and (b) receivin g less family-centered services from the schools than reported by teachers as being provided by the schools.