Enhanced Collaboration Case Study

The collaboration of special and general educators suggests a future of classrooms led by teachers prepared for every sort of student. A world of education where there is no “disability”, only diversity. If the expertise of both worlds can manage to effectively merge, the proper development of a teacher preparation model to even begin such a world is possible. This concept originated in 2004, when the IDEA along with NCLB produced mandates emphasizing improved student academic achievement. In turn, pressure increased for accountability in inclusion classrooms, leading to the critical need for effective collaboration. The uniting of special and general educators has been a long-standing effort. The establishment of collaborative spaces

Over the years, few hybrid programs have resulted in any significant impact. Perhaps this is because those programs maintained a distinct separation of practitioner roles between general and special education, while focusing on the merging of just their respective programs. Maybe the solution to enhanced collaboration actually lies in the merging of expertise and complete program integration. Radnor University is a newer school of unified teacher education that began the development of such a program. Their overarching goals were the enhanced education of students with disabilities, and produce of highly qualified educators capable of successful partnerships. They tasked themselves with creating a curriculum suitable for a collaborative environment, and the development and implementation of collaborative induction and mentoring activities. Their pilot program in 2006 consisted of interns from both special and general education, who are co-taught by professionals in both fields. They share the same classes, receiving the same instruction in states to support all learners, such as Universal Design for Learning and differentiation. The interns also participate in weekly co-taught seminars and gain field experience by co-lesson planning and co-teaching in general education classrooms. Faculty routinely observes and provides feedback to the

We continually revisited how we worked together around co-planning, co-teaching, co-supervision, and co-assessment. Administrator support, as well as support from our partnership schools, is key to success.

They learned that sustaining collaborative practice requires passion and commitment, and the majority of teacher preparation students go on to become collaborative practitioners. They expect and want to work in collaborative relationships, much like the ones they saw modeled through their co-supervision and co-teaching experiences in