Stuttering is a common disorder addressed by speech-language pathologists in elementary schools. Although students who stutter likely receive specialized services from speech-language pathologists, other school personnel, including special and general educators, play a key role in creating supportive and positive learning environments for these…

U.S. schools are required to educate students in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The number of students with high incidence disabilities, including those with speech or language impairments (SLI), who spend most of their day in the general education classroom has increased in the last decade. Establishing classrooms that proactively…

Pinterest is a social media platform that allows users to "pin" resources from the Internet and includes hundreds of connections to education sites. Pinterest is a popular and trusted resource for many teachers, making it a potential way to share evidence-based practices. This column describes how teachers can use Pinterest to share…

One-teach/one-assist and one-teach/one-observe are the two most widely used co-teaching models. Special educators often take on the support role when these models are used. At times, co-teachers in the support role may be unclear about how to implement active instructional practices that engage students and improve student outcomes. In this…

Co-planning is considered an integral part of a successful co-teaching relationship in which both teachers have parity and use their individual expertise to benefit all students. However, the literature has not discussed adequately how co-planning is achieved within the parameters of the already full schedules of two teachers. This column shares…

According to federal mandates, if a student's behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others, the individualized education program team is required to address this with a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). The intent of the FBA is to determine the function, or reason, of the impeding behavior for the development of a behavioral…

Schools today focus on inclusive models of education for students with disabilities that include higher expectations and increased teacher accountability. Within this inclusion framework, both general and special education teachers have responsibilities for the education of diverse learners. Collaboration skills take time to develop, with many…

With many students learning English also identified with disabilities in public schools, collaborations across special education and English learner (EL) education are critical to promoting these students' academic and linguistic development. Yet, many special education and EL teachers work independently of one another, focusing on their own…

This column contends that administrators are responsible for constructing a culture of collaboration in their schools and that ultimately, the facilitation of collaboration affects students' academic achievement. Within the context of a leadership scenario, this article outlines the need for, function of, and logistical implementation of…

Despite the popularity of co-teaching and widespread professional literature describing exemplary co-teaching practices, this instructional approach has yet to realize its potential. One way to increase the effectiveness of co-teaching is for special educators to contribute meaningfully by assuming the role of strategy leader in the co-taught…

A large percentage of students with disabilities are being educated in the general education environment for a majority of the academic day. Many educators have chosen co-teaching as the most appropriate method of educational service delivery to meet the needs of this population of students. To ensure the success of this delivery method,…

In common planning time (CPT), middle school educators have an opportunity to share their experience and expertise during a designated period. Common planning time is especially beneficial in the collaborative process in which special and general educators can address the needs of students with exceptionalities. This column provides an outline on…

As a service delivery option for students with disabilities, coteaching continues to gain popularity. Successful coteaching largely rests upon the compatibility of coteachers. Sometimes conflict may occur when two teachers with different backgrounds and views work closely together. This article focuses on why conflict is inevitable in cotaught…

Current research and practice indicate that some children with disabilities learn best in inclusive classrooms. Bringing together children with diverse abilities and typically achieving students often brings with it the need for general and special education teachers to collaborate. All too often, special education teachers and general education…

Schools have embraced the need for true collaboration among general and special educators. Many believe that if educators with varying areas of expertise and frames of reference are able to come together and collaborate on a daily basis in the same classroom, all students will benefit more: socially, behaviorally, and perhaps most important,…