Many general education educators have little pre-service preparation or in-service professional development for teaching students who are English language learners (ELL). Yet, ELLs are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. While teachers typically espouse the view that all students can learn, they do not often have the knowledge and skills necessary to support ELLs in their academic and language development. This lack of preparation for teaching ELLs often leads general education teachers to rely heavily on bilingual paraprofessionals and language teachers for educating ELL students. This paper describes a 5-year professional development initiative, Project Alianza, during which the researchers sought to present texts, narratives, experiences, and encounters which generated dissonance during which teacher participants named and questioned their current assumptions, biases, beliefs, and practices. A teacher inquiry project emerged from the analyzed data as a critical experience that caused teachers to make changes in their beliefs and professional practices as they developed a sense of agency for educating and advocating for ELL students.