Two teachers sharing space in a single classroom does not guarantee that they will function as an effective team. Recent research findings related to the efficacy of co-teaching indicate the need for more professional development to support teachers in building collaborative competence along with clear co-teaching roles and goals. So, how does a co-teaching team develop the mutual trust, respect, and support needed to create and to sustain an inclusive classroom? This article will describe how a structured, teambuilding protocol that is specifically designed to strengthen co-teaching partnerships helps general and special educators effectively collaborate and co-instruct. The step-bystep guide, called UNITED © , provides the scaffolding to promote co-teaching partnerships that produce positive outcomes for students with disabilities in general education learning settings.