Building Capacity to Serve EL-Classified MLs Through Co-Teaching - A Case Study on Collaboration for EL-Classified MLs

Oct 15, 2026

This brief reports findings from an ecological case study of one large U.S. K-12 district with an established co-teaching program model for EL-classified multilingual learners (MLs). It examines how educators build capacity through co-teaching, supported by Communities of Practice (CoP) elements—joint enterprise, shared repertoire, and mutual engagement—across microsystem (classroom), mesosystem (school), and exosystem (district). Data include administrator and teacher interviews and classroom observations, highlighting shared responsibility, common practices, and coordinated collaboration while noting unequal ESOL burdens and gaps for newcomer programming.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Theme 1: Shared Responsibility for MLs

Theme 2: Common Practices

Theme 3: Coordinated Collaborative Work

MAY 2026 | BUILDING CAPACITY TO SERVE ELCLASSIFIED MLs THROUGH CO-TEACHING | | --- | | A CASE STUDY ON COLLABORATION FOR EL-CLASSIFIED MLs | This brief reports findings from an ecological case study of one district with an established coteaching program model to serve English learner (EL)-classified multilingual learners (MLs) where a content teacher and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher collaboratively instruct the same group of students in a shared classroom or class period. This brief explores opportunities and challenges for building capacity that can arise in co-teaching. Building capacity means increasing the skills and resources that educators have and use to serve the unique needs of EL-classified MLs. Data, including interviews with administrators and teachers and classroom observations, comes from a particular U. S. K-12 district. Some important contextual factors include that the district is large, suburban/urban, and has been using district-wide co-teaching between ESOL and content teachers to serve ELclassified MLs for more than 10 years. Thematic findings align with a Communities of Practice (CoP) framework (Wenger, 1998) which is built upon the essential elements of joint enterprise (shared purpose or goal that brings members of the CoP together), shared repertoire (resources and tools used by all members of the CoP), and mutual engagement (co-created relationships between members of the CoP) . Conceputal Framework Our conceptual framework (figured above) integrates CoPs with ecological levels, which refer to Bronfenbrenner’s (1989) ecological model of human development occurring within nested systems. For this study, we conceptualize the microsystem as the co-taught classroom, the mesosystem as the school, and the exosystem as the district. THEME 1: Shared Responsibility for MLs Shared responsibility aligns with the CoP concept of joint enterprise, which refers to a shared purpose or goal that brings members of the community together. Opportunities: At the classroom level, co-teachers both explained and exemplified their sense of shared responsibility for EL-classified MLs. Shared responsibility created a context where the teachers could learn from each other and increase their capacity to serve these students both together and separately. At the school level, administrators helped facilitate coordination between ESOL teachers and content teachers outside of their co-teaching partnerships, such as through professional development opportunities led by ESOL teachers and scheduling of drop-in periods for ESOL teachers to work with a range of content teachers. This helped cultivate a sense of shared responsibility for EL-classified MLs between all teachers across the school. At the district level, a commitment to the value of including EL-classified MLs in general education facilitated a sense of shared responsibility. District office administrators and staff reinforced expectations about inclusion through their evaluation of programs and teachers and provided resources to support this shared responsibility. Challenges: On the other hand, co-teachers dealt with unequal responsibility in some areas. For example, some ESOL teachers and administrators explained that extra burdens were placed upon ESOL teachers, such as being positioned as the ones most responsible for making collaboration work. THEME 2: Common Practices Common practices aligns with the CoP element shared repertoire, which refers to the resources and tools used by all members of the community of practice. Opportunities: In co-taught classrooms, co-teachers taught each other new instructional techniques and practices, thus building a common pedagogy. Outside the co-taught classrooms, ESOL teachers and content co-teachers shared the instructional practices they learned from one another with other students and colleagues across the school. This helped to build school-wide capacity. A

FAQs

What does the brief mean by “building capacity” for EL-classified MLs?

Building capacity refers to increasing educators’ skills and resources to meet the unique needs of EL-classified MLs, both through co-teaching and related professional supports.

Which framework guides the analysis of co-teaching opportunities and challenges?

The findings align with a Communities of Practice (CoP) framework, emphasizing joint enterprise, shared repertoire, and mutual engagement across classroom, school, and district levels.

What are key challenges identified in the co-teaching model?

The brief highlights unequal responsibility in some areas, including extra burdens placed on ESOL teachers, and a lack of common programming for newcomer EL-classified MLs across the district.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn Holloway