The Michigan PBS Initiative: Advancing the Spirit of Collaboration by Including Parents in the Delivery of Personnel Development Opportunities

Parent involvement is described as an element of importance for optimal student outcomes in countless federal regulations, official documents, and professional publications. The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act heartily promote parent participation at education planning tables. Positive behavior support (PBS) materials encourage parent involvement. However, it is difficult to help educators establish a vision of what true parent—professional collaboration can look like when traditional staff development standards persist in defining roles for parents in staff development as simply being “content.” This Forum article outlines how PBS leaders in Michigan helped parents become members of their training teams for personnel development offerings and expanded their meaning of parent—professional collaboration.