Co-teaching is a social justice pedagogy that can increase educational access to groups of students who have historically been underserved and segregated in their schools. However, a school leader's failure to ensure inclusive cultures and critical support is its greatest obstacle. This retrospective, written by a former administrator and a special education teacher who collaborated on a high school co-teaching model for ten years, offers practical perspectives on implementation and includes actionable leader strategies for creating truly transformative co-taught classrooms.
To address disparities in post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, federal legislation mandates appropriate education programs to include transition planning and programs for students with disabilities. Because administrators are held responsible for ensuring appropriate educational programs for all learners including those with disabilities, it is important to understand their perspectives on secondary transition; however, research on administrators' involvement in secondary transition activities is limited. Using a single-state survey, this study examined the perspectives of secondary school administrators (i.e., principals and assistant principals) on their involvement and engagement in providing effective transition services for students with disabilities and their perceptions of barriers to providing and supporting transition efforts. Frequency of responses show the majority of administrators indicated they were highly involved in including parents and families in transition processes and attending IEP meetings. Yet, they were never directly involved with collaborating with community agencies to be actively involved with students with IEPs. Frequency of responses also show the majority of participants identified families not being prepared to participate in transition processes as a significant barrier as well as the absence of real-life instructional contexts (e.g., paid work experience) and lack of effective supports for students with IEPs from outside agencies as significant or moderate barriers. Implications for practice and future research are provided.
Though bullying is a near universal experience for middle school students at some point, LGBTQ + students experience additional stress and poorer academic outcomes than their peers do. This qualitative study interviewed six middle school principals from rural, suburban and urban schools. Data collection for this study included two semi-structured interviews over a four-month period. Data analysis included a constant comparative method using minority stress prior-research themes. Principals noted that many of the LGBTQ + students experienced prejudice and stigma. They also stated, that some of the LGBTQ + concealed their identity and at times internalized their phobias.
Dual enrollment policies and programs, where students earn both high school and college credits, have been scaled up across the United States in the last two decades. In this mixed methods study, we survey high school principals in Ohio and Texas, two states with robust dual enrollment policies. The study addressed one broad research question: What are principals’ perceptions of dual enrollment access, participation, and governance? Findings revealed three main themes: (1) economic/credential student motivations for dual enrollment; (2) mixed views about rigor; (3) issues surrounding the loss of principal autonomy.
Attrition rates among school leaders have risen in recent years, and scholars cite a lack of meaningful connections and responsive professional learning as leading reasons why they are leaving the field. School leaders are called to navigate unfamiliar and complex challenges, often working in isolation with limited opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. Social media forums, like Twitter, have potential to support a Community of Practice to facilitate learning around school leadership; however, there is a lack of scholarship exploring how school leaders use social media to support their needs. This mixed-methods study used sentiment and content analysis along with a phronetic iterative approach to explore how school leaders use Twitter to connect with others in the field. The umbrella categories of efficacy, agency, and resiliency emerged from the analysis, offering a glimpse into potential connections made through social media. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that principals are seeking connection, encouragement, and professional learning, yet further development in this area could help inform more formal practices to fill the gap in access to informal professional learning.
