A SCHOOL-WIDE APPROACH: TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE MAINSTREAM CLASSROOM

Abstract

Teachers face more challenges in today’s classroom than were faced 20 years ago. The rise of English Language Learners (ELLs) in American schools continues to grow, with 21% of the K-12 student population being ELL (NYU, 2018). With this drastic increase, schools are challenged to meet the diverse academic, social, and emotional needs that these students have. ELL specialists can provide support in these areas; however, the percentage of ELL specialists in most schools is not enough to adequately meet the needs of the ELL population. Because of this factor, ELL students are being primarily served in the mainstream classroom. These mainstream classroom teachers are struggling to adequately meet the needs of the ELL students they serve daily, mainly because most have not received any type of specialty training or support with this special population. If teachers are to best meet the needs of ALL learners, then action must take place; leaders must identify the primary struggles that teachers are experiencing, and prepare a list of resources and training opportunities to support the needs at their schools. Keywords: ELL, Mainstream ELL Instruction, ELL Strategies