This weekend, the Pioneer Press published an article on English Language Learners (ELL) entering mainstream classrooms to tackle learning English while simultaneously learning other subject matter. The article, “St. Paul English learners sent into mainstream, ready or not,” touches on some of the hopes and concerns for the shift from first developing fluency and then catching up on subject matter to a more integrated approach.

ELL students are co-taught by the classroom teacher and an educator with special skills and training to support English language acquisition. The St. Paul School District was an early adopter of the co-teaching model to integrate subject learning and English learning in elementary schools. The goal of this is strategy is to prevent ELLs from falling behind in other subjects while they are learning English.

C&I Professor in Second Languages and Cultures Education, Kendall King is quoted in the article for suggesting, “While this model has a lot of potential, it will not work for all English learners.” King recommends that districts begin with small scale pilots, and involve guidance counselors, among others to evaluate who might be successful in these classes.

Read the full Pioneer Press story here. To learn more about Kendall King’s research, please visit her profile page, and to learn more about SLC academic programs, please visit the SLC program area page.