The Power of Inclusion & Co-Teaching

Janine Ramirez, Interim Executive Director of Rocketship California, and Emily Isenberg, Associate Director of Integrated Special Education

Our Rocketeers recently finished their first week of NWEA testing! We’ve enjoyed seeing all of the pictures of students meeting their goals and school staff motivating our students to do their best. We want to highlight the amazing work our schools are engaging in with Integrated Special Education (ISE) co-teaching. At Rocketship we believe that co-teaching is one of the most impactful ways to accelerate student achievement across ALL students. And while co-teaching traditionally happens in core content spaces, we know that ISE collaboration happens across all teams – enrichment, operations, learning lab – because of our shared belief that our schools promote inclusion above all else.

And we know that co-teaching works. At Rocketship Mosaic Elementary, paraeducator Andrea Ortega saw huge gains with one of their Rocketeers, Sophia. Sophia was new to Rocketship this year and required intensive special education supports. However, based on our belief in inclusion, the Rocketship Mosaic team made it their mission to increase Sophia’s independence. The meaningful inclusion in her classes with parallel and alternative co-teaching along with a supportive peer buddy led Sophia to flourish! During conferences, the Mosaic team was proud to share with her family that Sophia is on track to meet her individual goals academically and socially. Not only that, but she is engaging more in her classes through connection with peers and utilizing her supports from her teachers to complete academic work with increased independence.

At Rocketship Redwood City Prep, Integrated Special Education educators Jaymie Garcia and Jeanette Orozco engage in parallel teaching during close-reading. In fact, Jaymie even teaches her group in English and Spanish to make the content accessible to our dual identified students. Rocketship Redwood City Prep students have experienced increased confidence and achievement thanks to this rockstar pair!

At Rocketship Los Sueños Academy, education specialist Zach Piper supports multiple classrooms and has increased student data through his partnership with general education teachers and creative co-teaching. As his coach, Principal Gabby Gordon shares, “Mr. Piper is unwavering about ensuring that every educator in the building understands how to set up our students with special needs for academic success, grounding our entire team in the foundational belief that ALL students can and will learn.”

These are just three of the many examples of strong co-teaching that is happening across our Rocketship California Schools! If you were present at the recent renewal hearings, you had the opportunity to hear directly from families who expressed how the inclusion model has made such an impact in their child’s life, and has made them feel a sense of belonging, rather than a separateness. During round-table discussions this Fall, we heard from teachers about how this approach really sets our educators apart. We do not do inclusion because it is easy, we do it because it is the right thing for everyone. And although the work is hard, our inclusion model makes a difference, and makes the work worth it. As we continue to refine our co-teaching practices, we are proud to celebrate the impact that our ISE educators have across all schools!

Published on December 18, 2024