A Co-Teaching Model for Literacy Education *

Abstract

In 1989, Boston University and the Chelsea, Massachusetts, Public Schools formed a partnership to join the resources of a large urban university with those of a small urban school district. The partnership was created when officials from Chelsea invited Boston University President John Silber to enter into a ten-year agreement to assist the school system in providing high-quality education for all students. In 1994, this multifaceted project was the topic of an issue of this journal, edited by Professors Indrisano and Jeanne Paratore, a reference for the reader who is interested in learning about the partnership and its effect on teaching and learning in Chelsea.

This article begins with an introduction to the Chelsea Public Schools and the partnership. The second section describes the collaborative efforts of university faculty (Roselmina Indrisano) and school faculty (Nancy Birmingham, Sheila Garnick, and Denise Keefe Maresco) that resulted in a co-teaching model designed to eliminate the separation between classroom instruction and Title I services. In the third part, the classroom teacher (Denise Keefe Maresco) and the Title I teacher (Nancy Birmingham) describe the way the co-teaching model is implemented in one first grade classroom. Lastly, the Title I director (Sheila Garnick) describes the ways in which she assisted other teachers in implementing a model for literacy instruction and assessment in their classrooms.