Authors examine how interrogating hegemonic gender roles can enhance recruitment, training, and engagement practices for residence life staff in leadership positions. Under specific focus are issues of gendered expectations of the men as paraprofessional role, dynamics in supervision, recruitment and training of staff, and bystander intervention…

This conceptual article focuses on how a National Professional Development grant through the Office of English Language Acquisition in the U.S. Department of Education supported multilingual paraprofessionals' equitable access to and participation in high-quality, ongoing professional development aimed at supporting young multilingual learners,…

Paraeducators play an important role in the education of students with significant disabilities. They can best contribute to improving student outcomes when they are skilled in using evidence-based practices. Tiered training is a practical and promising solution for how teachers can train teams of paraeducators to use evidence-based practices.…

This article describes how seven schools in England improved their science provision by focusing on the professional development of their science technicians. In September 2013, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation funded the National Science Learning Centre to lead a project connecting secondary schools with experienced senior science technicians…

Under the supervision of a licensed early intervention provider, paraprofessionals play an indispensable role in implementation of home and community-based services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families in Colorado. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 requires that…

With nearly a million paraprofessionals working in elementary and secondary schools (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013), ensuring they are well prepared and supported is essential to their and their students' success. Paraprofessionals work closely with classroom teachers to support students from special populations and are typically supervised by…

Nearly half (45%) of students in DC Public Schools are males of color. Despite improvements district-wide, there are still considerable achievement gaps between young men of color and their peers. We must work harder to ensure that all students--particularly boys and young men of color--share equally in District of Columbia Public Schools' (DCPS')…

In this article, we describe an inclusive educational programme for a young boy severely affected by autism. The programme is exemplary not only academically, but also in terms of what children need socially and emotionally. It represents best practices in action. Given the wide agreement about what constitutes best education practices, but the…

This article describes three different ways of using paraeducators during adapted physical education. (1.) Having paraeducators read a portion of the lesson plan that describes the desired support towards lesson objectives. Paraeducators then assist all students when needed. (2.) Assigning specific modifications for paraeducators through the IEP…

The University of Missouri's Career Center uses student paraprofessionals as career specialists. They receive 100 hours of training and ongoing updating; responsibilities include interpreting assessments, helping deciding students, critiquing resumes and cover letters, sharing job hunting strategies, and updating occupational information. (SK)

A four-phase model (orientation, demonstration, participation, and implementation) for training communication assistants to help provide speech and language services was successfully applied at a Migrant Head Start Center, where two trained assistants subsequently implemented therapy programs for three students. (CB)

Discusses the importance of teaching communication skills to individuals with severe disabilities and reviews the development and evaluation of Developing Communicative Interactions, a data-based staff training program that supports the development of a prescribed set of interaction skills by interacting communication partners. (Author/CR)

The academic and behavioral difficulties exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provide educators with unique challenges. The Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education estimated that 40% of the 400,000 special education paraeducators presently employed nationwide are assigned to classrooms for children with EBD.…

Presents a sample of replies to a call for materials on library policies concerning professional development and professional continuing education. Included is a summary of the results of a survey of 50 libraries that was conducted by the South Central Research Library Council in upstate New York to obtain information on continuing education…

Provides tips for designing effective training programs for library assistants. Discusses general points to consider; acquainting new assistants with the library; and assigning jobs that reflect assistants' interests. Suggests special projects for assistants including: arranging displays; cataloging; covering paperback and hardback books;…