Date of Award

January 2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Shannon Grave

Abstract

Co-teaching is defined as two or more certified teachers working together to meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classroom, especially students with disabilities. Co-teaching is a widely implemented method used in public schools to educate children with and without disabilities in the general education setting to comply with state and national legislation requirements. There are six commonly used co-teaching strategies and approaches: one teach, one observe; one teach, one assist; parallel teaching; station teaching; alternative teaching; and team teaching. The research questions asked and answered were: What approach is most widely used and most effective at the secondary level? And what are the teacher’s perception of students with disabilities in the general education and co-teaching setting? Data was collected via surveys from high school and middle school general and special education teachers in the researcher’s school district. Data found that one teach, one assist was reported as the most used strategy among secondary teachers in the researcher’s school district. Additionally, teacher perspectives on students with disabilities in their classrooms were examined with primarily positive perceptions. A professional development seminar was created, and handouts were made to disseminate to staff outlining the findings and the most effective co-teaching strategies. A plan for coaching, with resources, was created for continued teacher support and education. Keywords: co-teaching, special education, co-teaching strategies, pre-professional teacher training, academic achievement, coaching, professional development, shared expectations, teamwork, student success, collaboration.

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