Paraeducators are often utilized in the education of students with disabilities, and principals play key administrative roles with paraeducators. However, little research exists to understand principals' experiences with paraeducators. This study explored principals' perceptions regarding paraeducators in elementary settings. Given the varied…

Paraeducators need appropriate supervision and supports from teachers to be effective in their roles contributing to the inclusion and instruction of students with disabilities. However, previous research has demonstrated that teachers are unprepared for their supervisory role and report a lack of meaningful coursework and other learning…

Paraeducators are an important member of the educational team for many students with disabilities. However, the perspectives of team members (principals, teachers, paraeducators) related to paraeducator supports and team roles has not been adequately explored in the literature. An online questionnaire was used within this study to examine the…

Due to a variety of factors, many paraeducators receive little to no opportunities to advance their professional skills. Asynchronous online learning opportunities offer a flexible way for districts to provide paraeducators opportunities to advance their knowledge, although little is known about what online resources are available, their features,…

Paraeducators have become an important member of educational teams for students with disabilities. Although paraeducator supervision is mandated in federal law, numerous studies have noted challenges with paraeducator supervision. High quality teacher preparation, including use of materials that provide paraeducator focused content, is one way to…

Paraprofessional training is essential for high quality special education services. Yet, educators may struggle to select appropriate materials for paraprofessional training. A review was conducted of 26 paraprofessional training materials using a rubric designed to evaluate the alignment with federal legislation and professional standards, and…

The purpose of this systematic literature review was to summarize single-case intervention studies involving paraprofessional-implemented systematic instruction for students with disabilities. In the 19 reviewed studies, 60 paraprofessionals received training to implement systematic instruction with most learning naturalistic language strategies,…

In recent years, there has been an increase in paraeducator supports, in large part because students with low incidence disabilities are being included more frequently in general education settings. As a result, special education teachers have been given additional supervisory responsibilities related to directing the work of paraeducators in…

Paraeducators are frequent communication partners for young children with complex communication needs (CCN) in early childhood settings. This study examined the impact of instruction to paraeducators in two communication interaction strategies (IPLAN [Identify activities for communication, Provide means for communication, Locate and provide…

Paraeducators are frequent sources of support for young children with disabilities in early childhood settings. However, they typically have limited training in providing communication opportunities for children with complex communication needs (CCN). The impact was investigated of providing training in a communication interaction strategy to…