What Matters Most in Co-teaching in High School: Views from Administration, General Educators and Special Educators

Students with special needs are increasingly more present in the high school general education classroom due to the pressure from special education (Individuals with Disabilities Act, 2004) and general education (No Child Left Behind) legislation. In response, the practice of co-teaching has been a model adopted by some school leadership. Emerging research on the effectiveness of the co-teaching model indicate that there are factors that must be considered in order to implement a co-teaching model effectively in a high school setting. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may contribute to the success of a co-teaching model in a mid-sized high school as identified by the administrator and three co-teaching teams. This qualitative case study gathered and analyzed data in the form of interviews, focus groups and classroom observations of the participants. The results of this research will further the understanding of what is needed to implement co-teaching at the high school level for both administrators and teaching teams who desire to apply this model.