A Response to "School-Based Collaboration With Families."

This article responds to an article "School-Based Collaboration with Families: An Effective Model For a Society in Crisis," written by J. Brien O'Callaghan. Many of the diagnostic labels and special education programs based on "neuroedumedical" model are at best, ineffective, and at worst, counter-productive, serving only to maintain homeostasis in the educational system itself, often at the expense of the children it is intended to serve. There are some significant problems with the model as set forth by the author that need to be addressed, however. The comments will focus first on a discussion of the beneficial aspects of school-based collaboration with families and then proceed to the specific problems and limitations inherent in the framework as described. The intent is not to criticize but rather to encourage both marriage and family and school-based counselors to consider the potential for extending systems thinking, for going beyond traditional family therapy, and for adopting a multisystemic perspective to prevention and remedial services involving the family-child-school triad. The idea of developing family-school collaborative programs is an idea with much positive potential. Several school systems have already successfully implemented family collaboration programs of various types.