IMAGE COURTESY OF LEAD IDEA CENTER

Prioritizing time for meaningful educator collaboration can be challenging—particularly when school schedules are designed to maximize each minute of instruction for student learning. And yet, when this collaboration doesn’t happen frequently enough, teachers are at risk of feeling isolated and alone in addressing pressing needs impacting their students daily. This is especially true for special educators, with research showing that special education teachers often feel isolated from colleagues, and experience limited collaboration around academic instruction and student behavior with most colleagues, except for paraprofessionals.

While there are some structures in place, such as grade-level team meetings, that allow teachers to plan and problem-solve together during the school day, this becomes increasingly challenging for special educators who are often juggling large caseloads of students spanning multiple grade levels. As a result, special educators often feel overburdened by the weight of responsibility for their students’ success. Without structured collaboration and planning time with general educators, students with disabilities are at risk of not receiving the required services, aids, accommodations, and modifications outlined in their individualized education plans (IEPs). Not only does this hinder their progress and access to a free and appropriate education; this lack of shared responsibility can also lead to special educator frustration, burnout, and attrition.

Principals play a key role in ensuring mutual accountability and progress for every student in their buildings, including those with disabilities. As both building leaders and district representatives, they set the tone for holding all teachers to high standards for success and collaboration when it comes to putting the needs of students with disabilities at the forefront. By setting clear expectations and designing systems that support coordinated service delivery, principals can foster a culture of shared responsibility and success for all.

All students are all OUR students— that goes for all staff and students, regardless of disability.
—Kyle Roher, principal of Powell Middle School in Powell, WY

How can principals foster collaboration to cultivate shared ownership and accountability for students with disabilities?

First, connect with all teachers and related service providers about what disability inclusion means to them during check-ins at the beginning of the year. Hold a staff meeting to discuss common themes in their visions for creating a school culture where all students feel a sense of belonging. Work together to create a schoolwide vision statement that aligns with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for providing services in the least restrictive environment. Gather feedback on this vision from families of students with disabilities to promote buy-in and shared accountability for your goals. Model this vision in daily interactions and ensure mentor educators exemplify it with new teachers.

Use these resources to support your efforts:

Next, leverage the skills of effective general and special educators to create and deliver school-based professional learning and coaching sessions. Focus these sessions on the high-leverage practices and accommodations that are most common in students’ IEPs, as well as on topics that support the design and delivery of specially designed instruction. Hold monthly office hours for new teachers to support application of this learning in practice. Hold your leadership team accountable for creating an educator support plan that helps both staff and students feel they belong. Consider these resources to support your efforts:

Finally, ensure your hiring team understands what makes an effective special educator. During interviews, ask questions to see if candidates’ views align with the school’s commitment to inclusive learning environments, as illustrated in the vision statement. Update job descriptions for both general and special educators to reflect the school’s inclusion philosophy and clearly outline expectations for supporting students with disabilities. Assist educators in learning how to use data, including progress monitoring data, to continually improve their teaching practices to better meet the needs of students with disabilities.

For useful guidance, consider the following resources:

Cultivating a collaborative culture requires intentional, creative planning by principals. For instance, Kyle Roher, the principal of Powell Middle School in Powell, WY, intentionally designs schedules and uses professional learning communities to create the necessary conditions for a collaborative school culture, allowing educators to offer targeted support for students with disabilities during the school day. For a video of Roher explaining this approach visit youtube.com/watch?v=CFYTH7lR8JE&t=1s.

If you are interested in exploring more strategies, solutions, and practical examples, visit the “Principal Navigator: Special Educator Retention” recently released by the Lead IDEA Center. This tool was developed in partnership with the Lead IDEA Center and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center.

The strategies we’ve highlighted here are essential for enhancing effective collaboration between general and special educators, and result in shared ownership and accountability for the progress of students with disabilities. Principals can use these strategies to address pressing issues impacting their special education student populations and workforce. Taken together, these actions can help schools retain special education teachers over the long-term.

Stacy M. Hirt, PhD, is a researcher and technical assistance provider for Lead IDEA at the American Institutes for Research. A former teacher, instructional coach, and district leader, she helps build knowledge and capacity with principals supporting students with disabilities. Learn more at lead-idea.org.
Keane Alavi is a technical assistance provider for Lead IDEA and the CEEDAR Center at the American Institutes for Research.

Reference
O’Brien, K. M., Brunsting, N. C., Bettini, E., Cumming, M. M., Ragunathan, M., & Sutton, R. (2019). Special educators’ working conditions in self-contained settings for students with emotional or behavioral disorders: A descriptive analysis. Exceptional Children, 86(1), 40–7. doi.org/10.1177/0014402919868946