Parents' Support, Teachers' Expertise and Implementation of Special Needs Education in Davao Oriental Secondary Schools

This study examined the effects of parents’ support and teachers’ expertise on the implementation of Special Needs Education (SNED) in selected secondary schools in Davao Oriental. Specifically, it determined the extent of parents’ support in terms of IEP involvement, communication with teachers, and home-based learning; the extent of teachers’ expertise in terms of instructional strategies and classroom management; and the extent of SNED implementation in terms of instructional practices, student outcomes, resource allocation, and school infrastructure. Utilizing a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design, data were analyzed through one-way and two-way ANOVA. Findings revealed that both parents’ support and teachers’ expertise were perceived as moderately extensive, while SNED implementation was generally extensive to very extensive across domains. Results showed no significant main effects of parents’ support (p = .268) and teachers’ expertise (p = .145) on SNED implementation. However, a significant interaction effect between the two variables (p = .039, η² = .101) was found, indicating that SNED implementation is more influenced when both support systems function jointly. The study concludes that collaborative engagement between teachers and parents is essential in realizing inclusive education goals and recommends capacity-building and integrated support mechanisms.