Chapter 6: Coteaching For English Language Learners: Recommendations for Administrators

The following are the voices of an administrator, a teacher, and a student in the midst of coteaching situations for English learners:

Budgetary limitations, space constraints, overloaded student programs, and limited expertise in the complexities of coteaching often leave administrators confused, frustrated, and unsure about how to design, support, and supervise coteaching partnerships. The purpose of this chapter is to provide administrators with a road map to avoid common pitfalls and to ensure the success of the teaching partnership. In our shared years of teaching and administrative experience, we have been a part of or have witnessed too many ineffective coteaching partnerships for English learners. Recently, we decided to collaborate to provide administrators with much needed guidance toward the development of a more effective coteaching English as a Second Language service delivery model. The goal is for students to benefit from having two teachers who function synergistically and are mutually accountable for the success of all students, not just the ELLs.