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Abstract
Many schools have begun implementing co-teaching involving a general and special education teacher working collaboratively together within a classroom to deliver instruction to all students within a general education classroom environment. This trend has shown progression over the last 20 years with the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 2004, and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to research the results of studies at the elementary, middle and high school levels on the perceptions and experiences of general and special education teachers on the implementation of co-teaching and determine how these perceptions and experiences relate to implementing successful co-teaching models. Factors that will be reviewed as a part of this study are: experience, perceptions, professional development, and administrator support.
The research was completed in three phases: distribution of a Likert Co-Teaching Survey, Semi-Structured Interviews and a prototype Case Study.
The prototype case study was conducted in a large suburban unit school district about 50 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. The overall community population is 31,832 with a median household income of $102,987 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). The student population of the district is 18,209 making it the 7 th largest school district in the state of Illinois. The general and special education participants in this prototype case study were from one elementary school located within the district.
The review of literature supports that the perceptions of general and special education teachers have a profound impact on the success of co-teaching (Gokdere, 2012), sustains the need for adequate and on-going professional development (Austin, 2001; Cook & Friend, 1995; Cramer & Nevin 2006; Danmore & Murray 2009; Friend, 2000, 2007; Idol, 2006; Scruggs, 2007), and support the need for positive administrative support for a successful co-teaching program.
