Factors that Affect Instruction in Inclusion Classrooms: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Administrator Perspectives

General education and special education inclusion teacher partners share accountability for the instruction served in the general education classroom. The IDEA and state policies set forth procedural and administrative regulations that safeguard the learning of all students. To meet the instructional needs of all students, including those students with disabilities, inclusion teacher partners need professional development, time to plan with their partner, and administrative support. Administrators must be knowledgeable of successful models of inclusion, instructional resources needed to provide a FAPE, and the professional needs of general education teacher and special education teacher inclusion partners to support their effectiveness. Inclusion teacher partners cite caseload, workload, lack of appropriate instructional resources, adequate time to collaborate, and collective expertise of educator partnership as challenges to their efficacy. To explore factors that influence instruction in inclusion classrooms, this study answered two research questions; what do general education and special education inclusion teacher partners need to succeed with inclusion and what support is offered to general education and special education inclusion teacher partners by the administration. Findings of this study suggests low cost low effort to low cost high effort recommendations that support needs of inclusion partners and the administrators that supervise them. The need for future research is discussed.