Special Education and ELLs: The Critical Need for Collaboration
Collaboration is essential when identifying the needs of English language learners (ELLs) -- different team members bring different kinds of expertise and will be much more effective than trying to make decisions in isolation. Learn more about why collaboration matters and how to improve collaboration from these tips and videos.
Featured Articles
- Helping English Language Learners Succeed with a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS)
- A Hidden Language: Supporting Students Who Speak Mixtec
- A Word Beginning with "T": "Maestra"
- ESOL and Special Education Collaboration: A Teacher's Perspective
- Serving English Learners with Disabilities: How ESL/Bilingual Specialists Can Collaborate for Student Success
Related Video
Supporting an English learner with special needs
Why a team approach matters for serving ELLs in special education
What an ESL teacher can contribute to special education team
How classroom teachers, ESL specialists, and reading specialists can collaborate to teach reading
Gathering information for students who don’t have school records
What does an IEP look like for an ELL?
What roles do different educators play on the referral team?
Why administrators are critical to special education processes for ELLs
Recommended Resources
- The Roles of Interpreters and Speech-Language Pathologists for ELLs with Disabilities (Impact: University of Minnesota, 2013)
- Working Together: One District’s Transformation in Teaching English Learners with Disabilities (Impact: University of Minnesota, 2013)
Acknowledgements
This resource section was made possible through our partnership with the National Education Association. Additional support was provided by the American Federation of Teachers.
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