An Examination of the Relationships Between Parent-Professional Partnerships and Parental Empowerment for Students Who Received Special Education Services Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between parent-professional partnerships and parent empowerment for elementary students who received special education services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Elementary parents in southeast Texas who had children who received special education services throughout the COIVD-19 pandemic when children participated in online learning were solicited to complete Family-Professional Partnership Scale and the Parent Empowerment and Efficacy Measure (PEEM). The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and a Pearson’s product-moment correlation (r) to determine the relationships between parent-professional partnerships and parental empowerment for elementary students who received special education services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The solicited parents were also invited to participate in individual interviews. Findings indicated that a high number of parents felt empowered to meet their child’s overall needs throughout the pandemic, and that parents highly perceived parent-professional partnerships as influencing their relationships with professionals throughout the pandemic. Results also showed that as parent-professional partnerships increase, parental empowerment also increases.