The 21st Century Fampily

Abstract

Because special educators are being called upon to work with increasing numbers of children from families that do not have both biological parents in the same household, it is important to determine if they have had the professional training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to effectively interact with these children and their families. This study examined the preparation of special educators to work with the family of the 21st century, a family that is increasingly more likely to be a single-parent or stepfamily. Data relating to special educators' opinions of their undergraduate preparation, participation in inservice training, and judgment of the importance of preservice training to work with single-parent and stepfamilies were collected. Results are presented and discussed. Areas for further investigation are suggested.