Drawing on findings from a national study of learning-focused leadership in challenging urban settings, this article examines the work of teacher leadership in urban high schools. In this context, a recently emerging cadre of nonsupervisory teacher leaders, working in collaboration with supervisory leaders, exercises a form of "distributed instructional leadership," creating new channels for instructional renewal. Extensive qualitative data from four high schools in different urban districts across the United States illuminate the nature of these teacher leaders' work in support of teaching and learning, the ways they and their supervisory counterparts worked as instructional leadership teams, and the role that they played in supporting teachers in classrooms within schools that face significant challenges. Study findings highlight the unique expertise necessary for these teacher leaders-including content expertise, pedagogical coaching skill, ability to build relational trust, and capacity to link the classroom with district-and schooldetermined learning improvement efforts. In conclusion, the article sketches the implications for reconfiguring supervisory leaders' work so that the efforts of all remain productively and persistently focused on learning improvement.

This paper details a study that focused on the supports that enabled an English Language Learner (ELL) facilitator to contribute to a culture of collaboration between the ESL and language arts departments to more effectively meet the instructional needs of English learner (EL) students in one culturally and linguistically diverse high school. Three important findings that emerged from the data were (1) the importance of a supportive leadership context for inclusion of ELs and the ELL facilitator's work, (2) schoolwide supports for ELs, and (3) collaboration and influence of the literacy team. The contributions of the ELL facilitator to the culture of collaboration between the ESL and language arts departments are described. The structures and organization of the school context that contributed to this collaborative work to meet the instructional needs of ELs are also analyzed. The importance of these findings to both research and practice are discussed.

As more English learners (ELs) are included in mainstream content classrooms at the secondary level, the need to understand how teachers collaborate to meet the particular instructional needs of ELs is essential. This paper presents findings from a qualitative case study that investigated the collaborative work that engaged a group of literacy teachers over the course of a school year in one culturally and linguistically diverse high school. The ongoing collaboration of the mainstream language arts teachers and English as a second language teachers is examined, including the role of an English learner facilitator/ESL teacher in supporting teacher professional learning and inclusion. The contributions and collaboration of this literacy team are described and analyzed. How this collaborative work provided opportunities to grapple with meeting the instructional needs of ELs and the inclusion of both ELs and ESL teachers in the mainstream curriculum are discussed as well as implications for the field. less is known about how practicing teachers learn to develop the skills and knowledge that could have a direct impact on the ELs they teach. Hakuta (2011) calls for research that focuses on enhancing mainstream teachers' capacity to teach ELs and the development of professional communities within schools. This research fills a gap in the literature and addresses urgent concerns in the field through an investigation of the collaborative process that engaged a group of teachers in one high school with a focus on meeting both the language development needs of ELs, as well as providing access to mainstream language arts content. Background literature

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As today’s K-12 schools become increasingly diverse, many teachers are struggling to meet the needs of English language learners and teach them in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner. The authors provide a pair of examples to illustrate specific ways teacher leaders can be effective advocates for better instruction and services for English learners.