Organizing for Coherence: How State Structures Enable or Constrain Collaboration Between General and Special Education

• In Event: Organizing for Equity and Inclusion: Innovative Theorizing Across the P-20 Educational Ecosystem

Abstract

This study examines how organizational structures within state educational agencies (SEAs) shape collaboration between special and general education in school improvement. Through qualitative case studies of four SEAs, the study identifies design elements—such as reporting lines, leadership integration, boundary-spanning roles, and symbolic hierarchies—that condition whether and how collaboration occurs. Findings advance organizational research in education by showing how agency design influences coherence across policy domains and identifying conditions under which overlapping mandates can be aligned. By foregrounding the role of organizational design in enabling or constraining collaboration, the study highlights how bureaucratic arrangements can support or undermine efforts to serve historically marginalized students. It reconceptualizes state administration as a site for equity-oriented inquiry and shared responsibility.

Author

• Tye Austin Ripma, Stanford University