Releasing the Power is the next training video in the Forum’s Co-Teaching Video Series. Leaders at the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School District decided that to meet achievement and accountability standards mandated in federal education law, they had to do something very different. If students with IEPs continued to be educated largely in special classes and resource rooms, those students would have a difficult path to success. Releasing the Power illustrates how the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School District researched, created, and implemented a district-wide co-teaching initiative. Today CMS is an exemplary model of what can happen when a district releases the power of two.
First on this DVD, CMS Superintendent and his top deputy for Special Education discuss the district’s inclusive Facilitator's Guide PDF /practices and co-teaching journey from conception through implementation. Then you’ll hear CMS principals discuss, in practical detail, the expectations, challenges, and supports necessary to ensure all students are learning in co-taught classrooms. DVD includes a digital viewing guide and a rubric for judging the fidelity of your implementation using a framework developed by Professor Friend.
DVD Sections
Welcome
Co-Teaching Implementation
What to Look for in Co-Taught Classrooms
Principal Engagement
Challenges
Supporting Activities
Who should watch this DVD?
District leaders and school leaders implementing inclusive practices and/or co-teaching, or those who question the results they are getting from their current model. The program will help them avoid needless pitfalls and create a productive dialogue to further their own implementation.
What People Are Saying About Releasing the Power:
“Releasing the Power contributes greatly to the necessary and critical dialogue about the organization, economics and efficacy of co-teaching. In particular, the DVD offers an opportunity to hear “lessons learned” from school district and school building leaders as to what it takes to develop and sustain an effective co-teaching model in a large urban school district—or anywhere.”
David P. Riley, Ph/D.
Executive Director
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative
