Supporting and Supervising Co-Teaching: Best Practices for Assistant Principals at a Large, Southern California, Comprehensive High School

The purpose of this study is to determine essential best practices for administrators to use when supporting co-teaching. The participants were five assistant principals in a large public comprehensive high school in southern California. All five assistant principals participated in a survey that asked about their experiences and knowledge of supervisory practices for administrators in the areas of observation and evaluation, placement of students with disabilities, and the pairing process for the co-teachers. The data were analyzed and compared to data found in the literature to determine the need for targeted support for special populations and the professional development needed to maintain the highest quality instruction within the district. Ultimately, this study provides a record of best practices for assistant principals who supervise co-teaching. These best practices include: (1) administrator professional development on how to support co-teaching through standardized observation and evaluation expectations, similar to the general education teacher observation and evaluation, but including the unique aspects of co-teaching, (2) allow teachers be a part of the process with whom they are co-teaching, and (3) attend and be actively involved in IEP meetings and share in the placement process of students with disabilities. In addition to the assistant principals providing professional development to the co-teachers for a new observation and evaluation protocol and student placement collaboration, I believe administrators would also benefit from professional learning in the form of their role in the IEP and student services and educational setting process.