Imagining a Better Future for All Students: Implementing a Co-Teaching Model in Junior High

Schools across the United States are being pressed to engage in increased practices of inclusion. Co-teaching is one model that many schools employ to meet this goal. This paper examines one school’s journey toward a co-teaching model to understand the roles administrators and teachers play in the success of implementation and how students are affected by the change. This paper is an instrumental case study of one junior high school’s decision to change from a direct instruction model to co-teaching. Interviews were conducted with the principal and five teachers involved in this change. Through these interviews we learned that participants considered the process to be well supported and successful. Yet, even with this general outlook, there were still challenges to address including less than optimal teaching teams and questions about meeting all student needs. Overall, this paper shows that through thoughtful and deliberate practice schools can shift to a more inclusive environment that is both socially and academically positive for all students.