The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) require students to use language in different ways. Expressive and receptive language skills are necessary to participate in the standards-based scientific practices of asking questions, constructing explanations, and engaging in arguments from evidence during scientific discussions. Participating in…

Two studies aimed to document the process of preparing for and teaching collaborative education courses and to determine students' perception of collaboration and inclusion as a result of taking the course. Two sessions of collaborative teaching run by different professor dyads were studied over two 10-week quarters at a large public university.…

Presented in this article are the rationale and construct of a new consultative teaching model for the inclusive instruction of students with learning disabilities in secondary schools. The inclusive consultation model (ICM) is a proposed alternative to traditional co-teaching models as described in the extant literature. In recognition of the…

Faculty (N = 154) from approved Tennessee teacher education programs across the range of disciplines responded to an online survey designed to assess the extent to which they practice, teach, and express confidence in co-teaching, collaboration and implementation of universal design for learning (UDL). Faculty strongly endorsed items indicating…

Co-teaching, defined by Friend and Cook (2013) as substantive instruction by two or more professionals of a diverse group of learners in a shared space, has long been a key feature of middle level instruction. This article reports on a four-year formative experiment (Reinking & Bradley, 2008) intended to generate insights to guide teachers'…

Collaboration among professionals is a vital component for successful inclusion of students with disabilities. In many cases, teacher preparation programs assume that teacher candidates know how to collaborate without explicit instruction or authentic practice and, therefore, omit coursework on collaboration. Alternatively, some programs may…

To identify promising strategies for full inclusion, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) and the National Center on Special Education in Charter Schools conducted in-depth case studies of five Washington State charter schools as part of a national study of special education in charter schools. These studies were conducted during the…

Students with learning disabilities are spending more time in general education classrooms than at any point in history, yet there remain concerns whether general education teachers are receiving adequate preparation to support these students. Considering the rapid adoption of new accountability measures of teacher preparation programs (TPPs),…

Special education teachers have a unique set of skills and opportunities to become leaders in the field of education. Some rural special education teachers, however, may not see themselves as potential leaders or believe they have opportunities to be leaders. This article provides guidelines for rural special education teachers to consider in…

Current educational policies that have articulated from IDEA are driving the adoption of inclusionary practices in schools. These policies present challenges to general education, secondary education, and dual-licensed teachers at the secondary level. Secondary general education teachers may lack the pedagogical knowledge necessary to accommodate…

In literature, co-teaching is mostly defined as an instrumental and pedagogical means delivered by collaborating special and regular teachers, from which students with and without special educational needs benefit in regular schools. The importance of a shared vision on the part of members of co-teaching teams as to what they consider as good…

A new special education strategy was launched in Finland by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The new Basic Act was enacted in 2010 and the new national core curriculum concerning three-tiered support for pupils in 2011. Since the 1990s, teachers across Finland have participated in developing Finnish basic education towards greater inclusion. The…

Special education and general education teachers must work collaboratively in a single classroom that serves the diverse needs of all children due to federal regulations such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. Evidence-based practices that foster collaboration are scarce. The…

Students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) are increasingly receiving more of their instruction in the general education classroom where they have access to a rigorous curriculum and a highly qualified teacher. In some cases, a co-taught classroom (one in which a general educator and a special service provider equally co-plan,…

Co-teaching is an accepted teaching model for inclusive classrooms. This study measured the perceptions of both students and teachers regarding the five most commonly used co-teaching models (i.e., One Teach/One Assist, Station Teaching, Alternative Teaching, Parallel Teaching, and Team Teaching). Additionally, this study compared student…