6. Commitment

If teachers are to succeed in developing forms of cooperation that are fexible about the parents’ prerequisites, it requires strategy and management. Management is of great importance for teachers’ attitudes towards parents and for maintaining an empathic approach. It focuses on opportunities and resources rather than barriers and shortcomings. 
 
Three key elements should be anchored (and often handed out as a folder to parents, when their child begins in school, because it is the responsibility of management to formulate):
 
  • First, the strategy must clarify the division of roles and responsibilities for both teachers and parents.
  • That an inclusive school is a shared responsibility.
  • That the learning conditions work best when everyone contributes to the community, as it infuences their living conditions and development opportunities.
  • That everyone has a shared responsibility to be able to include, accept, and respect the students with their living conditions and stories.
  • That there is open communication, and challenges are solved together.
  • That parents and school equally speak positively about the other.
  • Secondly, the strategy must formulate a value-based basis for the collaboration. The parents are mentioned as partners who can make a positive contribution. The school management must convey a belief in the parents’ prerequisites and willingness to cooperate.