Collaboration in Context: Instructional Coaching to Support Inclusive Classrooms, an American Perspective

Abstract

Changes in American public education can be linked to wider social movements. New policies and practices have historically emanated from a variety of social problems such as racism and the marginalization and exclusion of populations of children who differ by ability, economic class, and ethnic heritage. In the era of a global pandemic (COVID-19), the authors embrace the context of civil unrest in the United States as it directly relates to the factors necessary to build effective collaborative relationships in public institutions shaped by history and culture. In this chapter, we position school inclusion in the United States as an issue of social justice. In sharing our positionality and professional experiences as educators, we discuss instructional coaching as a collaborative lever to support inclusion in American classrooms. Our experiences, combined with the literature, serve as evidence that the formation of deeply meaningful professional relationships rooted in authentic empathy may serve as a powerful collaborative action to transform unjust structures. These relationships as actions in and of themselves, thus, form a psychological foundation (community consciousness) needed to effect positive change. The chapter is organized into three sections that examine instructional coaching for inclusion on marcopolicy, mezzo-academic, and microsituational levels. The chapter ends with a call to action applicable to PK–12 educators and leaders, as well as instructors and professors in teacher preparation programs.

Citation

Stewart, G.L. and Lane, D. (2021), "Collaboration in Context: Instructional Coaching to Support Inclusive Classrooms, an American Perspective", Semon, S.R., Lane, D. and Jones, P. (Ed.) Instructional Collaboration in International Inclusive Education Contexts (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 17), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 97-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620210000017010