Understanding Stakeholder Communication and Coordination for Children with Behavioral Needs

Behavior management is an important component in classroom settings. If implemented appropriately and consistently, it has been shown to have a positive impact on student behavior. In order for behavior management strategies implemented at school to be effective, they need to be reinforced at home as well. However, home-school collaboration is difficult to achieve. This work uses the diary study methodology to understand the barriers parents face when collaborating with school practitioners about their child's behavior management. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyze parent questionnaires. Our preliminary findings show a lack of tailored support and guidance provided to parents from school practitioners, leaving parents unable to effectively manage their child's behaviors at home. We discuss the opportunity to design an information sharing solution that meets the needs of both school practitioners and parents to improve their collaboration, ultimately leading to improved behavioral outcomes for their children.Master of ScienceInformation, School ofUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162555/1/Spiller_Allison_Final_MTOP_Thesis_20200501.pd