Chapter 9: Co-Teaching Programming for English Learners: From Exploration to Sustainability

Co-teaching for the success of English learners is the norm in the Cherry Creek School District. It wasn’t always that way, however. Focus, a drive to ensure fidelity to the program, and persistence in the face of setbacks, all contributed to the success of the program. The results of nearly a decade of intentional work around the components of a successful co-teaching model coupled with a laser-like focus on three tenets-language through content, meaningful access to grade-level content, and building the capacity of teachers-have resulted in high growth and achievement of English learners.

Many times schools question the success of co-teaching after just a few months of implementation. In reality, the issue does not lie in the validity of co-teaching itself, but is inherent in the difficult task of taking a program from exploration to sustainability. What makes it so difficult to bring any program from exploration to sustainability? This very question plagues those who implement anything new.