#2: Instruction - What did effective co-teaching actually look like when it worked?

#3: Barriers - What consistently got in the way? Structural vs. relational?

#4: Students - When did students benefit most? When did the model fall short?

#5: Sustainability- What is not sustainable about this role right now?

#6: Professional Respect - What made you feel valued? What made you feel minimized?

#2: Instruction
Effective co-teaching looked like intentional collaboration between the education specialist and the general education teacher. This included ongoing communication about student needs, shared planning, and alignment on instructional goals. When it worked, both teachers had clearly defined roles and actively supported students within the classroom setting.

#3: Barriers
The primary barriers were structural. There was a lack of clear guidance, planning, and expectations for how co-teaching should be implemented. In some sites, there also appeared to be underlying biases toward students in special education. Additionally, many general education teachers lacked training or understanding of effective co-teaching practices, which created inconsistency in implementation.

#4: Students
Students benefited most when there was strong collaboration between the education specialist and the general education teacher, allowing support to happen within the classroom. The model fell short when students were frequently pulled out or excluded, as this disrupted their access to grade-level instruction and sometimes led to them feeling singled out.

#5: Sustainability
The role is not sustainable without clear guidance and systems from the district to support co-teaching. A lack of structured collaboration time with general education teachers also makes it difficult to effectively meet student needs and maintain consistent support.

#6: Professional Respect
I felt valued when I was provided with meaningful training, such as the support from Catherine Wilson, which helped strengthen my practice. I felt minimized when I was not given the ability to make decisions within my role, such as setting schedules for my assistants, which limited my capacity to effectively manage services for my students.