Monday, September 29, 2025
Submitted by Matt Renwick, Systems Coach (WiMLSS), CESA #3
My primary role as a systems coach is to collaborate with district leaders to identify and address inequitable outcomes, such as the disproportionate representation of students with disabilities in chronic absenteeism data. Recognizing the many demands school leaders already face, I approach this work as a way to align with and strengthen existing initiatives rather than as an additional task.
An effective approach in these situations is to foster relationships with informal leaders, including teachers who are already committed to reducing obstacles and increasing support for every student.
Recently, I worked with a special education teacher. She believes in the power of co-teaching and has witnessed its impact on her students. She wanted to scale this initiative school-wide.
As a former teacher with similar ambitions regarding effective literacy practices, I had the hindsight to see what challenges might lay in store for her. For example, was she aware of her colleagues' understanding of co-teaching? How might a possible lack of knowledge and skill influence their motivation to try something new?
As a coach, I've learned that self-awareness is developed through collaborative experiences, rather than just telling individuals what I think they should know. Outlined below is the pathway we followed to arrive at greater self-awareness and appreciation for the complexities of change and continuous improvement.
Articulating a Vision for Success
We began by articulating a clear vision for success. The teacher explained that effective co-teaching looks different in each classroom, leading us to create slides comparing various models.
We also moved beyond generic goals to define tangible outcomes, such as a greater sense of student belonging and teachers leading with their strengths. Her insight, that she provides her knowledge of specially designed instruction while general teachers serve as content experts, highlighted a key benefit: enhancing the educational experience for all students, not just those with a disability.
Assessing the Organization’s Current Reality
To ensure the initiative was grounded in reality, we assessed the school's current state. An environmental walk revealed that 50% of classrooms were set up for independent work rather than collaboration, a finding that helped us anticipate implementation challenges. We planned to share this and other data with colleagues during the professional learning session.
We certainly wanted to highlight the positives, such as reduced teacher turnover. But we also wanted to communicate areas for growth, like the high number of students with IEPs—a sign that universal instruction was not meeting the needs of all learners.
Diving Into the Research of the Practice
During our preparation, we also dove into the research, using an AI tool (Perplexity) to explore why co-teaching sometimes fails. We found that without adequate time for co-planning, the practice can be ineffective. This insight helped us anticipate teacher concerns and communicate the need for administrative support, such as protecting teachers' prep time.
Being Transparent with Our Colleagues
On the day of the initial professional learning session for co-teaching, we started the presentation by being honest about this process. “While co-teaching is an evidence-based instructional strategy,” the special education teacher-leader shared, “it isn’t a magic pill schools can take and expect our challenges to be solved.” We then shared the pros and cons of co-teaching on a slide, followed by the conditions necessary for this practice to be effective.
Providing Choice in the Application of the Strategy
After going over the different co-teaching models along with strategies for implementation, we provided time for teachers to process the information. They were also encouraged to ask questions, including critiques. “I currently don’t have common planning time with the special education teacher I work with,” one teacher shared. “How is this going to work?” Another teacher in the room shared how he and his special education partner used Google Docs to asynchronously design instruction, supported with short conversations when they saw each other during lunch. “It’s not ideal,” the teacher admitted, “but we can make it work.”
To ensure some type of action would be taken before the professional learning session ended, we asked all the teachers in attendance to select one of the four co-teaching models they would try and apply, along with a specific strategy they would use to engage in this work. We shared a link to a Google Sheet for teachers to post their intentions. We also set up a column for each teacher to identify an “accountability buddy” who would be available to collaborate with when questions or challenges arose. Our next step is to be available to the teachers throughout the school year by offering coaching and follow-up professional development.
Conclusion
This structured, collaborative pathway created sustainable change by fostering self-awareness. This knowledge wasn’t something I could hand to the teacher; it developed as she worked to see her own school's reality and transparently share both the vision and the challenges with her peers. This process, moving from data analysis to a collaborative action plan, demonstrates that when we empower teachers and leaders, we can navigate the complexities of continuous improvement. The real measure of their success won't be in a single session, but in the sustained commitment that follows, ensuring that we move beyond short-term fixes to build a truly equitable learning environment for each and every student.
* * BONUS * * Access the coaching worksheet that walks you through this process.