A National Survey of Pre-Service Preparation for Collaboration

Abstract

The degree to which special educators serve in a meaningful collaborative capacity in inclusive classrooms has come under scrutiny, and hence, the quality of collaboration training afforded requires examination.This article describes the results of a survey conducted with 53 undergraduate pre-service special education training programs representing 25 states. The survey examined (a) the manner in which collaboration training for special education majors is structured according to content and field experience requirements, (b) the degree to which general education students at each institution are incorporated, (c) faculty perceptions related to the quality of collaboration in public schools, and (d) perceived differences between special and general education faculty in terms of the importance of collaboration training. Results suggest that many of the concerns related to collaboration in public schools are paralleled by, and perhaps attributable to, those between special and general education in college and university training programs.