Date of Award

6-26-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

Program

Educational Leadership

Capstone Instructor

Brian Boothe

Second Reader

Michael Foster

Keywords

general education, special education, cohesion, collaboration, professional development, co-teaching, inclusion

Abstract

Cohesion between general education and special education departments is the idea of blending and aligning instructional methods and approaches regardless of educational discipline. This paper was written to examine how this cohesion can be improved. Educational leaders must improve cohesion between general education and special education departments to support the academic achievement and success of all students in schools. Through qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies, methods to improve this cohesion were researched. The research provided insight on how general education and special education teachers feel about collaboration and how collaborative efforts can be utilized to improve cohesion. These collaborative efforts can be positively impacted through professional development decisions guided by teachers’ needs. Professional development which has been selected and pursued by general education and special education teachers also provides teachers more training on specific areas of focus. An important area of focus is co-teaching to directly influence instruction and improve cohesion. Despite limitations, insights from the research provide context for educational leaders to apply these themes in educational settings and ideas for future studies.

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