ESL and mainstream co-teaching practices in one elementary school

Available research shows that co-teaching may be an effective way to provide both language and content instruction to the growing ESL population in pubic schools. The purpose of this study was to determine which co-teaching practices are currently being implemented during Reader\u27s Workshop in grades K-5 in one urban elementary school. A qualitative study was conducted with 18 teachers through an anonymous questionnaire. In addition, four teachers were interviewed about their current co-teaching practices, and the school principal was interviewed about her vision for co-teaching. This study found that some necessary elements for effective co-teaching practices are in place at this school. However, co-teaching at this school could be improved in several areas. The two most identified areas for improving co-teaching at this school are: providing professional development and scheduling more common planning time during the day for co-teachers