Paraeducators as Critical Team Members: Redefining Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the changing and expanding roles of paraeducators, notes the importance of paraeducators as critical team members, offers several ideas that teachers can use to enhance the use of paraeducators in the classroom, and provides some insights for school principals about the benefits of paraeducators and some legal and ethical considerations in their use. Future role definition, function, and opportunities for paraeducators are discussed.

“Be Careful What You Wish for …”: Five Reasons to be concerned about the Assignment of Individual Paraprofessionals

“…The benefits of paraprofessional support have long been considered common sense. Busy teachers and concerned parents often appreciate the availability of a second adult to provide an extra set of helping hands, eyes, and ears in the classroom (Daniels & McBride, 2001;French & Chopra, 1999 Since paraprofessionals often live in the communities where they work, they may provide cultural perspectives or speak the primary language of non-English-speaking students (Ashbaker, 2000). Many paraprofessionals provide thoughtful, creative input as valued educational team members.…”

Paraeducator supervision in pre‐service teacher preparation programs: Results of a national survey

“…With the shift in their role, paraeducators have been heralded as “bridges,” “critical team members,” and “connectors” in the inclusion process (Chopra, Sandoval‐ Lucero, Bernal, Berg, & Aragon, 2004; Daniels & McBride, 2001; Marks, Schrader, & Levine, 1999; Wadsworth & Knight, 1996), however, vast evidence in the existing literature also shows that paraeducators are often inadequately supervised and inappropriately utilized in the instruction of students with disabilities (Giangreco, 2010; Giangreco, Edelman, Broer, & Doyle, 2001; Giangreco, Suter, & Doyle, 2010; Rutherford, 2012; Webster et al, 2010). Too often paraeducators, with little or no training, become the primary individuals responsible for providing behavior support and academic instruction to students with disabilities (Chopra, Carroll, & Manjack, 2018; Giangreco, 2013, Sobeck & Robertson, 2019).…”

The Urban Paraeducator Goes to College

“…Paraeducators have seldom been trained systematically (Downing, Ryndak, & Clark, 2000;Katsiyannis et al, 2000;Pickett, 1999;Riggs & Mueller, 2001). In response to the growing use of paraeducators for classroom management, planning, and instructional delivery in special education settings (Comer & Maholmes, 1999;Daniels & McBride, 2001;Downing et al, 2000;Marks, Schrader, & Levine, 1999), Con-gress mandated in 1997 that paraeducators be "appropriately trained and supervised, in accordance with state law and policies" (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C, § 635(a)( 8)). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 also required the states to ensure that paraeducators obtain formal training (IDEA, Part D, § 658 (c) (3)(D); Beale, 2001;Moshoyannis, 1999;Wallace & Gerlach, 2001).…”