Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of Content/Dual Certification, Special Educators' Roles, and Co-teaching Partnerships in Inclusion Classes

To strengthen inclusion practices in schools, a mandate was passed requiring special education teachers working at the middle and high school levels to become content certified. The purpose of this research study was to examine the outcome the content/dual certification mandate had on special education teachers’ roles in co-taught inclusion classes and the school organization. A qualitative research method with a narrative design was used to analyze teachers’ perspectives. Special educators with experience in middle schools' inclusion classes in two counties in New Jersey were interviewed. The research questions elicited their perspective on the changes to their role and the impact on the school organization post content/dual certification mandate. The interviews revealed the current reality, 10 years into the mandate initiative. The participants with experience ranging from two through thirty-six years expressed a favorable attitude about the mandate. While it brought some stability to their roles as co-teachers in inclusive classrooms, participants also disclosed a continued experience in changes to their positions in response to student needs as written in their Individual Education Plans (IEP). The implications of the study are significant to policy makers, prompting them to decipher mandates’ effects on the total organization prior to initiating into law. Administrators can use the study to focus on the efficacy of co-teaching partnerships in their schools. Universities can obtain a more realistic picture of inclusive classrooms and follow through training teachers in special and general education to be flexible, adaptable, and arm them with strategies for differentiating instruction for all students.