When teachers were asked what they needed to improve a student's success, 95% of inner-city teachers wanted parents to be more involved and improved communication with them (Ellis and Hughes, 2002). Unfortunately, teacher-initiated communication usually occurs when the teacher believes there is a problem with a student. Ferrera (2009) stated similar ideas in his study from the parents' perspective, that parents were inclined to be reluctant to call schools, but called "more often if their children were struggling or failing their subjects " (p. 133). As a result, there is a perception on the part of educators that many parents who are not involved in their children's education, as a result, fail to contribute to the child's academic success. Given the numerous studies that have shown that parental involvement is a critical part of a child's academic success, what then are the barriers that prevent parents from being involved in the school and educational environment of a child with special needs? Research has determined some of the barriers to parental involvement in their children's academic performance. These include: working, supporting a family, managing normal life, lack of time, monitoring one's children, language, transportation, not receiving announcements in a timely manner, culture, and attitudes (Erdener, 2014). Today's families have different responsibilities than in previous decades. There are more working single parents and more families where both parents work full time outside the home. With more family responsibilities and less time, involvement in education becomes less of a priority. Barriers to parental involvement for parents of children with disabilities are multiple, influenced by f...... middle of paper ......ng student behavior. Each interested party is assigned a specific role in determining the course of the child's behavior and enters into a contractual agreement. The process showed a decrease in school suspensions, an increase in attendance, and a healthy bond between parents, teachers, and administrators (Taylor, 2000). Educators must be careful not to limit the scope of parental involvement. Instead, they should seek to involve parents in all aspects of the educational process, finding ways to increase parental involvement in the school, classroom, and educational process (Yell, Ryan, Rozaliski, & Katsiyanis, 2009). Furthermore, Knopf and Swick (2007) stated that parental involvement could be increased by “establishing a relationship with families and encouraging involvement in the daily functioning of the school” (p. 291). Knopf and Swick (2007) further state