The Teacher-Parent Collaboration On the Success of Individualized Education Plans for Students with Special Needs: Teachers’ Perspective

Teacher-parent collaboration plays a vital role in the successful implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), which are essential for supporting students with special needs in inclusive education settings. This descriptive qualitative research explored the collaboration between teachers and parents in the implementation of IEPs in a public elementary school in Batangas City, Philippines. The study aimed to describe existing IEP practices, identify the roles and responsibilities of teachers and parents, and determine common challenges such as attendance of IEP team members, progress monitoring, and communication between home and school, and develop a guidebook to support effective implementation. Using purposive sampling, five special education teachers were selected and interviewed using a validated semi-structured guide. The data gathered were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results revealed that the implementation of IEPs in the study setting is largely teacher-led, with teachers assuming primary responsibility for planning, implementing, and monitoring IEPs due to limited institutional and professional support. Parental involvement was found to be inconsistent and largely consultative, with parents often informed of IEP decisions rather than actively participating in goal-setting and evaluation. The study further identified context-specific challenges, including the absence of a complete multidisciplinary IEP team, reliance on teacher-developed tools for progress monitoring, and communication that is functional but irregular. In response to these findings, a practical guidebook was developed to address identified gaps by clarifying teacher and parent roles, strengthening communication practices, and supporting more structured collaboration in resource-limited public school contexts.