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Collaborative initiatives supporting inclusive classrooms.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

This article describes collaborative work in a Professional Development School between university and school-based educators. Supporting the collaborative work between inservice teachers and teacher education faculty, we demonstrate the benefits of collaborative conceptualization, organization, and facilitation of instruction to support the meaningful and successful work of inclusive education. Design and implementation of instructional interventions geared at preparing general education preservice teachers for inclusive classrooms is discussed.

Introduction

Recently, our institution participated in a massive teacher education reform effort to redesign various programs. During this period, it was identified that preK-12 inservice teachers from our Professional Development Schools (PDS) network frequently voiced deep concerns over the unpreparedness of preservice teachers to effectively work within an inclusive system of education. This local concern mirrored more national observations that the planning and facilitation of general education teachers' learning about special education policy, inclusive education, or accommodations for curriculum must undergo a significant transformation to result in meaningful classroom change (Ferguson, Ralph & Katul-Sampson, 2002; Friend & Cook, 1990; Welsh & Brownell, 2002). University-based teacher education faculty and inservice teachers from one PDS district have collaboratively developed a solution to this recurrent concern by developing and expanding inclusive and collaborative practices.

Nationally, an indisputable reality facing individuals preparing to enter public school classrooms concerns the growing number of fully included students with disabilities (Beckman, 2001). As recent literature describes, there is an increasing number of students with disabilities in the general education classroom (Turnbull, Turnbull, Shank, Smith, & Leal, 2001). Yet, a recent survey conducted in two teacher education courses (typically taken one to two semesters prior to student teaching) revealed that 87% of participating preservice teachers believed they would not encounter students with disabilities within their general education classrooms. This startling finding was coupled by identified issues such as lack of specific training and access to information regarding how special educators are able to contribute to the goals of the general educator. In efforts to revolutionize the experiences of preservice teachers and expand the knowledge base, a field-based model built upon the conceptual framework of Zeichner (1992) and Pugach (1996) was utilized. Specifically, efforts were focused on collaboration opportunities within an existing PDS partnership.

The Partnership

During fall 1999, two urban high schools officially partnered with our university as Professional Development Schools. Each school enrolls between 1,300 and 1,500 students in grades 9 through 12. The high schools each have approximately 18% of the student population receiving special education services. Operating within the Holmes' model of Professional Development Schools, both high schools began PDS work by focusing on preservice education (Holmes Group, 1990). Specifically, initial efforts concentrated on collaborating to design curricula and field experiences to provide powerful opportunities for preservice teachers to effectively translate theory...

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