Chapter 1: Redefining Borders Through Co-Teaching: ESL/ELD Teachers as Change Agents in K–5 Classrooms

We have often heard co-teaching compared to a marriage with give-andtake between two teachers with unique expertise, but co-teaching also has the potential to empower English as a Second Language (ESL)/English Language Development (ELD) teachers as teacher leaders—change agents who leave a lasting impact on general education teachers, even when they are not present in the classroom co-teaching to serve English language learners (ELLs). Can ESL/ELD teachers redefine borders in an otherwise siloed profession, where teachers are typically physically separated into different classroom spaces (Lortie, 1975)? Survey data (n = 61) followed by semi-structured interview data (n = 4) were collected to investigate how elementary ESL/ELD and general education co-teachers across 38 schools (with about 11% ELLs) perceived one another’s roles as co-teachers. Qualitative analysis results from this study suggest that when ESL/ELD teachers frame co-teaching as capacity building, they have the potential to develop relationships that are catalysts for improving instruction for K–5 ELLs in the general education classroom.