Inclusion, the forced game plan for levelling the playing field: one high school\u27s first attempt

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the co-teaching as an inclusionary technique in a high school setting. Co-teaching in this study consisted of a general and special education teacher collaborating in the instruction of a group of general and special needs students. The participants included 140 students, the general education and special education teacher. The teachers completed an Inclusion Survey that contained a twenty-item, four points, forced-choice Likert Scale. The survey measured the teachers\u27 beliefs in four domains: Teacher training, Academic Content/Teacher Effectiveness, Social Atmosphere (students) and Academic Climate. Interviews of the teaching staff and administration were conducted at the start of the school term and at its conclusion. The results of the interviews were compared to identify alternate perspectives and perceptions of co-teaching and the practice of inclusion. The use of direct observation was included to provide data regarding the techniques employed by the co-teaching staff. It documents the dynamics between the instruction and the success or failure of the techniques that were utilized. This first-hand information from the direct observation allowed the intern to view the instruction and the reaction of the students along with allowing the observation of events occurring during the lesson, such as interruptions, that may have had an effect on the learning process. The success was measured by the evaluation at the end of the lesson