Perceptions of Educators Implementing a Collaborative Teaching Framework to Support Special Education Students

Overview & Synopsis

Special Education students across the United States are performing less well than their non-Special Education peers (US Department of Education, 2017). At a local level, researcher has observed that Special Education students are not served through the use of adequate accommodations, instructional strategies, or best practices to support inclusion in the general education classroom. The systems that support inclusion instruction of Special Education students in the general education classroom require further exploration. This mixed method study explores the perceptions of educators implementing a collaborative teaching framework to support Special Education students in an urban high school in North Texas. This study will feature the perceptions of educators, including administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals involved in the implementation of a Collaborative Teaching Framework. The research questions focus on the relationships between the collaborative teaching partners, the relationship between planning time and the implementation of the Collaborative Teaching Framework, the perceived barriers impeding implementation of the Collaborative Teaching Framework, and the relationship between training and the implementation of the Collaborative Teaching Framework. Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consistency of implementation of the Collaborative Teaching Framework will be explored. The data will be collected through questionnaire research. This study will include recommendations to support Special Education students through the implementation of the Collaborative Teaching Framework. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]