How School Leaders Can Make Time for Co-Teaching Planning

One of the most common concerns we hear from co-teaching teams is simple:

“We want to collaborate… but we don’t have time.”

Teachers know that strong co-teaching requires shared planning. Without it, even the most dedicated teams struggle to coordinate instruction, differentiate learning, and support students effectively.

Why Co-Planning Time Matters for Inclusive Classrooms

Effective co-teaching requires teachers to collaborate on:

• lesson planning
• differentiation strategies
• student supports and accommodations
• assessment and progress monitoring
• classroom roles and responsibilities

When teachers don’t have time to plan together, co-teaching often becomes one teacher leading while the other assists.

That’s not the goal.

Co-teaching works best when teachers share responsibility for instruction and problem-solving. Planning time is what makes that possible.

But here’s the reality: co-planning time doesn’t magically appear in the schedule.

In schools where co-teaching works well, leaders intentionally protect and structure time for collaboration.

The good news? Protecting co-planning time often requires small scheduling shifts—not major structural changes.

Below are eight practical strategies school leaders can use to ensure co-teaching teams have the time they need to plan together.

8 Ways School Leaders Can Protect Co-Planning Time

1. Align Planning Periods for Co-Teachers

When building the schedule and thinking about staffing patterns, ensure co-teaching partners/teams share at least one common planning block each week. This may happen during specials in elementary schools or common planning periods in middle and high schools.

2. Treat Planning Time as Instructional Time

Co-teachers need time to plan the same way teachers need time to teach. Protect co-planning blocks from being filled with other obligations such as:

• additional meetings
• supervision assignments
• paperwork blocks
• last-minute administrative tasks

When reviewing schedules, treat co-planning time as essential instructional time, not open space on the calendar. Ensure shared planning periods are not routinely replaced with IEP meetings, coverage requests, or administrative meetings.

3. Reduce Non-Instructional Duties

Many teachers lose valuable planning time to supervision responsibilities like:

• lunch duty
• hallway duty
• study hall monitoring
• playground supervision

When possible, rotate supervision schedules or provide support staff so teachers can use that time to collaborate.

4. Use Professional Learning Time for Team Planning

Professional development time doesn’t always have to mean presentations. For example, if there are choices between break-out sessions, have one session for co-teachers to spend time working through roles and responsibilities, how to add access points, or how to incorporate more station teaching.

Some of the most valuable professional learning happens when teachers have time to:

• design lessons together
• review student data
• problem-solve classroom challenges

5. Schedule IEP Meetings Strategically

In many schools, IEP meetings unintentionally disrupt planning time for co-teaching teams. Special educators are often pulled from planning periods to attend meetings, leaving little time to collaborate with classroom teachers.

Whenever possible:

• avoid scheduling IEP meetings during shared co-planning blocks
• cluster meetings during designated meeting windows
• coordinate schedules so both teachers can maintain regular planning time

6. Encourage Short, Frequent Planning Conversations

Collaboration doesn’t always require a full meeting. Many successful teams rely on quick check-ins such as:

• 10-minute weekly planning huddles
• hallway conversations between classes
• short virtual meetings

7. Support Shared Digital Planning Tools

Technology makes collaboration easier than ever. Many co-teaching teams stay connected using shared tools like:

• collaborative lesson planning documents
• shared planning folders
• digital to-do lists
• quick messaging platforms

8. Ask Teachers What They Need

The most effective scheduling solutions often come directly from teachers. Before adjusting schedules, ask co-teaching teams: “What would help you collaborate more effectively?”

Teams may suggest solutions such as:

• aligning one planning block
• adjusting PLC meeting structures
• freeing up one duty period
• scheduling quick weekly check-ins