World Education Connect Multidisciplinary e-Publication, Vol. VI, Issue I (february 2026), pp.1-5
Mel Babes Marie V. Rogales, MAED Sped
Teacher, Fridley Middle School, Fridley, Minnesota, USA
Abstract
A qualitative case study at Fridley Middle School in Minnesota looked at how general and special education teachers worked together and how culturally competent they were. Eight educators engaged in semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion, supplemented by document analysis of school artifacts, including improvement plans and training records. The study found that a "hybrid push-in" co-teaching strategy was starting to be used. This strategy seemed promising for inclusion, but it had problems because the structural supports weren't strong enough. Three things were found to be necessary for good collaboration: protected common planning time, clear role definitions and fair expectations, and shared planning artifacts like deliverables and resources. Without these supports, teachers used informal methods that made it harder for them to work together and caused tension over ownership, which hurt student support in the end.
Educators described cultural competence as a concept that includes being aware of oneself, being able to teach in a way that makes students feel like they belong, and helping the organization grow through targeted professional development and a diverse staff. Students encountered cultural competence primarily through a sense of belonging, validation of identity, and linguistic access. The study resulted in tangible outputs, such as a Co-Teaching Compact, a Language Access Protocol, culturally responsive unit-level tags, a class progress tracker, and a 30/60/90-day rollout plan within a Developmental Implementation Framework.
Keywords: co-teaching; collaborative planning; cultural competence; inclusive education; middle school; qualitative case study
https://doi.org/10.65494/pinagpalapublishing.130
