Legal and Research Considerations regarding the Importance of Developing and Nurturing Trusting Family-Professional Partnerships in Special Education Consultation

This article emphasizes the importance of trust in the relationship between schools and families participating in special education. As noted in the abstract, "this paper provides discussion of the legal implications of the family-professional partnership, historical documented challenges that lead to a lack of trust in these partnerships, the importance of developing and maintaining a trusting family-professional partnership in special education consultation, and recommendations for future family/parent consultation practice, research, and policy." Attending to both theoretical and practical dimensions of trust, Professor Gershwin outlines three domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) as well as the five facets of trustworthiness. These facets were set forth by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2000) as they explained, “one party’s willingness to be vulnerable to another party [is] based on the confidence that the latter party is (a) benevolent, (b) reliable, (c) competent, (d) honest, and (e) open.” In addition to practical applications, the article concludes with implications for policy and future research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2020.1785884