Understanding the Experiences and Needs of Mainstream Teachers of ESL Students: Reflections from a Secondary Social Studies Teacher‪.‬

Introduction Secondary ESL (English as a second language) students are typically placed in general education classrooms to receive content-area instruction alongside native English-speaking students (Byrnes, Kiger, & Manning, 1997; Clair, 1995; Harklau, 1994; Merino, 1999; Penfield, 1987). Mainstreaming--immersing language-minority immigrant students in all-English curricula with or without specialized support--is a common practice in United States public schools at the present time (Harklau) and is a visible trend for the future (Harper & Platt, 1998; Youngs & Youngs, 2001). The move to early mainstreaming as a strategy for cutting educational costs is also playing by the rules of equitable access and opportunities. Access to the regular curriculum, integration with language-majority students, and an authentic context for learning academic English (Clegg, 1996) all make mainstreaming appealing as an instructional program model. On the other hand, disadvantages associated with the accelerated pace at which ESL students are placed in such settings are presumably to be offset by the good inclusionary strategies and differentiated instruction that would be provided.