Preparing Professionals for Partnerships with Parents of Students with Disabilities: Textbook Considerations regarding Cultural Diversity

Strong bonds of family-school collaboration are critical to the academic and social development of students with disabilities, especially when parents and teachers differ in ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. These linkages necessitate preparing educators to address the needs of diverse students and family members. We evaluated 10 textbooks, related to working with families of students with disabilities, that may be used in special education teacher preparation programs. The textbooks were appraised regarding cultural diversity content, vignettes and examples of diverse groups, and inclusion of cultural issues. We also assessed the textbooks qualitatively to identify the relationship of cultural diversity content to parental involvement. Results indicated variability concerning representation of diverse populations, cultural content, and discussion of diversity issues.