Making Inclusion Work With Co-Teaching

Co-teaching is considered essential to the process of including students with special needs into the general education classroom. Fortunately, most general education teachers are positively disposed toward co-teaching and inclusion. However, observed practices to date in co-taught classrooms, focusing on traditional, whole-class instruction and the special education co-teacher in a subordinate role, minimize the true potential of an effective co-taught class. This article describes the appropriate role of the special education teacher in a co-taught classroom, and makes specific recommendations about how the effectiveness of co-teaching arrangements can be maximized.