Whole School Approaches to Supporting English Language Learners in Public Elementary Schools

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to discover more about what a whole school approach to supporting English language learners entails and prioritizes. The main research question that guided this study was: how is one Toronto school effectively enacting a whole school commitment and approach to supporting English Language Learners? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with a classroom teacher, ESL support teacher, and a school principal, all working within the same TDSB school. Findings suggest that it is essential to create inclusive, caring, and risk-free school-wide environments for ELLs to succeed. Having professionals within the school who create personal connections with ELLs and who can relate to them on a personal level was a large factor in supporting this approach. Another finding was the importance of communication and collaboration between key stakeholders in facilitating a whole school approach. These stakeholders include a variety of individuals both within the school and the surrounding community. A key stakeholder was found to be the school board as it provides the resources and finances that the school needs in order to implement a whole school approach. An implication of these findings is the important of understanding that the school board does not actually support or implement the whole school approach, but provides resources that the school can choose to use to create this type of approach to supporting ELLs