Collaboration among professionals in the educational setting: A multidisciplinary team perspective

As the push for inclusion continues to grow, professionals are encouraged to collaborate with one another in order to support the students on their caseloads (IDEA, 2004). Despite the need for collaboration, there continue to be barriers that impede the successful use of this service delivery model. This study aimed to investigate the possible barriers to collaboration among educators and specialists in the educational setting. Ways to improve collaborative interactions among educators and specialists on a regular basis was also explored as they relate to the common core state standards. Three classroom teachers, three special education teachers, and three speech and language pathologists were surveyed in order to further investigate their knowledge and views of collaboration and the common core state standards. All of the professionals surveyed had a positive view of what collaboration could accomplish. As a result, positive trends are anticipated for the future of collaboration