Practical Questions About Collaboration Between General and Special Educators

Collaboration between general and special educators has become one of the most popular topics in the special education field. What are the reasons for this emphasis on collaboration and a number of closely related areas--e.g., consultation, inclusion, and the merging of general and special education? Historically speaking, implementation of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) in 1975 has been influential. During initial implementation of the act (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA), school systems focused on establishing self-contained programs for students with disabilities, a service delivery model popular in the 1960s. During the 1970s and early 1980s, this emphasis changed when professionals thought the principles of normalization emphasized in IDEA were better served by the resource model of service delivery Most recently, the calls for educational reform, special education restructuring, and full inclusion have provided further impetus for advocates of collaboration between general and special educators.