A Culture of Collaboration: Meeting the Instructional Needs of Adolescent English Learners

Abstract

This paper details a study that focused on the supports that enabled an English Language Learner (ELL) facilitator to contribute to a culture of collaboration between the ESL and language arts departments to more effectively meet the instructional needs of English learner (EL) students in one culturally and linguistically diverse high school. Three important findings that emerged from the data were (1) the importance of a supportive leadership context for inclusion of ELs and the ELL facilitator’s work, (2) schoolwide supports for ELs, and (3) collaboration and influence of the literacy team. The ontributions of the ELL facilitator to the culture of collaboration between the ESL and language arts departments are described. The structures and organization of the school context that contributed to this collaborative work to meet the instructional needs of ELs are also analyzed. The importance of these findings to both research and practice are discussed.