Chapter 12: Divergent Paths of Understanding: Teacher and Leader Perceptions of Co-Teaching for English Learners

The number of English learner (EL) students¹ in K-12 schools continues to rise (McGill, 2012). As this student population increases, states and school districts are responding by implementing new models of instruction to meet the needs of these students. In order to meet the dual demand of learning both language and content simultaneously (Bunch, 2013), many states and districts are implementing co-teaching models of instruction where the English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) and mainstream teachers work collaboratively. In these models, the ESOL and mainstream teacher are asked to co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess as they instruct ELs within a mainstream classroom context.