Co-Teaching: How do Teachers Rate Barriers to Effective Co-Teaching?

Students with disabilities are increasingly more present in high school general education class due to the pressures from federal legislation and disability advocates. In response, co-teaching model are being implemented by many school districts within the United States. The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers rate the effectiveness of co-teaching and the barriers to success. The study reflected a quantitative, descriptive approach using a survey design. A 20 item questionnaire was used to collect data on the perceptions of the participants. The participants for this study included professionals in the field of education, specifically teachers from both general education and special education. The participants included male and female professionals with varying levels of education and experience in education. Participants agreed with the literature indicating that (a) planning time, (b) training, (c) administrative support, and (d) compatibility issues were some of the most common barriers to effective co-teaching