Connecting High-Leverage Practices to Student Success: Collaboration in Inclusive Classrooms

Melissa C. Jenkins, PhD, is an assistant professor of Special Education at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. She brings over 18 years of public school experience to her role as a teacher educator, having worked in Virginia public schools as a special education teacher, instructional coach, and central office administrator. Melissa is dedicated to helping educators bring high-quality, inclusive practices to schools. She loves speaking and writing about collaborative practices, early mathematics intervention, and positive behavioral support. When not working, Melissa enjoys practicing yoga to find literal and figurative balance in life. She also takes great joy in big and small adventures with her family.

Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D., MBA, MEd, EdS, is the Executive Director and Eisner Endowed Chair for the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she is also a Full Professor in the Department of Special Education and the Director of SIMPACT Immersive Learning. Dr. Murawski is the national Past President of the Teacher Education Division (TED) of CEC and an internationally known speaker and author, presenting in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. She has published extensively around inclusive education, co-teaching, collaboration, and Universal Design for Learning, to include 18 books and numerous chapters, blogs, and peer-reviewed articles. She is the CEO of 2TEACH? and 2TEACH GLOBAL (www.2TeachLLC.com), two educational consulting companies dedicated to promoting inclusive education around the world. In her personal life, Wendy enjoys curling up in front of a fire with her cat Monkey on her lap, her dog Honey at her feet, her husband Donald making dinner as she reads a book while sipping merlot and being texted sweet messages from her college-bound son, Kiernan. This scenario actually happened…once.