Contextual Barriers to Collaboration

In this article, I describe how, despite good intentions and carefully considered procedures, strategies, and protocols developed to enhance parent-professional collaboration, collaborative interactions in public schools privilege the interpretation of the professional over that of the parent. As a consequence of this imbalance of power among professionals in schools, the collaborative ethic is far from that originally mandated by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. I further suggest that, in the context of the traditional bureaucratic organization of schools, hierarchical authority and well-established power structures will further determine the potential for meaningful collaboration. This analysis holds implications for the implementation of Public Law 99-457, which places even greater emphasis on parental involvement and enduring partnerships with professionals.