JAASEP FALL 2025 Part 5 of 10
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This study addresses the problem of determining the current challenges faced by collaborative teachers and the strategies they are using to create an effective cotaught classroom.
The average classroom in the American public school system is becoming increasingly more inclusive as more students are classified in special education and more special education students are placed in general education classrooms. In the last ten years, the number of students who receive special education services in the United States has steadily grown from 6.4 million in the 2010-2011 school year to 7.3 million in the 2021-2022 school year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). The percentage of special education students who spend 80% or more of their day in the general education classroom is now 66.17% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). With more special education students in the general education classroom, there is a greater need for effective co-taught classrooms. The collaboration between a special education teacher and a general education teacher in one classroom helps ensure that the appropriate class content is taught and that it is accessible, so all students can succeed.
Abstract
The inclusive classroom has become an increasingly popular classroom model but is not consistently implemented in schools. This paper seeks to find which collaborative teaching practices are commonly used in K-12 schools today, how teachers perceive the effectiveness of co-teaching methods, how teachers are prepared for co-teaching and their perception of the effectiveness of their training, the current challenges of co-teaching, and how those challenges are resolved. To achieve this, a survey was conducted amongst 54 anonymous and voluntary participants to compare the perceptions and experiences of those currently co-teaching with varying years of teaching and co-teaching experience. The results show that most teachers enjoy co-teaching and collaborating with their co-teaching partners, but the most common challenge of co-teaching is finding time to meet and plan. Similarly, most are not adequately prepared for pre-service or in-service teaching training, leading many to use ineffective co-teaching practices.