National Research Survey
Bridging the Divide
Trust Between Special Education and General Education Leadership Teams
A national mixed-methods research survey examining the professional relationship between special education directors and general education leaders across U.S. public school districts.
Conducted by Dr. Nikki Harding and Dr. Crista Grimwood of Inclusive Leadership Lab. Your participation directly shapes a field-wide understanding of what divides these teams and what brings them together.
About the Study
Why this relationship determines everything
When special education and general education leadership teams operate in silos, students with disabilities pay the price. Resources are misaligned. Professional development is disconnected. Accountability is shared in name only.
This study exists because the research on trust between these two leadership groups is nearly nonexistent. We know what happens when collaboration fails. We do not yet have a national picture of why it fails or what conditions make it possible.
This survey is the first step toward that picture. The findings will be published and shared widely with the field to support better structures, better conversations, and better outcomes for students.
Five Research Questions
The questions this study is designed to answer
Each of the 46 survey items maps to one of five research questions. Together they provide a comprehensive picture of the trust dynamic between special education and general education leadership in U.S. public schools.
Research Question 1
What are the primary sources of distrust?
Examining the specific professional, structural, and relational factors that generate distrust between special education directors and general education leaders in district settings.
Research Question 2
How is accountability for student outcomes shared?
Exploring whether and how responsibility for students with disabilities is distributed across leadership teams and whether that distribution reflects genuine partnership.
Research Question 3
How do resource allocation processes affect trust?
Investigating how decisions about staffing, funding, time, and materials are made and whether those processes strengthen or undermine cross-functional relationships.
Research Question 4
What role does professional development play?
Assessing whether joint professional learning opportunities exist, how they are structured, and whether they contribute meaningfully to shared understanding and trust.
Research Question 5
What structural conditions enable genuine collaboration?
Identifying the organizational features, leadership behaviors, and systemic practices that create environments where special and general education leadership can work as true partners.
Instrument Design
A 46-item instrument built for precision and nuance
The survey uses three distinct measurement approaches, each chosen to capture different dimensions of the trust dynamic between leadership teams.
Role-based conditional logic ensures that question framing adjusts based on the respondent's role — whether they identify primarily as a special education leader or a general education leader — so that the data reflects each perspective accurately without forcing artificial equivalence.
The result is a measurement instrument that is rigorous enough to produce publishable findings and grounded enough in real district experience to feel relevant to everyone who takes it.
Who Should Participate
This survey is designed for leaders at every level
The survey uses role-based conditional logic so that each respondent answers from their own leadership perspective. All responses are confidential and contribute to a national dataset.
Special Education Directors and Administrators
District-level special education directors, coordinators, and supervisors who work alongside or under general education district leadership. Your perspective on trust and accountability from the special education side is the core of this study.
General Education District Leaders
Superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, and other general education district administrators who share oversight with special education leadership. Your view from the general education side is equally essential to the research.
Building-Level Administrators
Principals and assistant principals who navigate the intersection of special education and general education implementation daily. Your ground-level view of how these leadership dynamics play out in schools adds a critical dimension to the dataset.
The Researchers
Study led by practitioners who have lived this work
This research is grounded in decades of direct experience inside special education and general education leadership — not observation from the outside.
Participate in the Research
Your voice belongs in this data
This study only works if leaders across the country participate. The survey takes 12 to 15 minutes and your responses are fully confidential.
Confidentiality and Ethics
Your participation is voluntary and confidential
This study collects no personally identifying information. All responses are reported in aggregate only. Participation is entirely voluntary and you may stop at any time without consequence.
Results will be shared publicly through publications and presentations to benefit the broader field of special education and general education leadership. Individual districts and respondents will never be identifiable in any published findings.
Questions about the study or data use may be directed to [email protected] or [email protected].