This study investigated the education and training of paraeducators to learn how they viewed their role in the instructional process and to explore who held the responsibility for assigning tasks to paraeducators and allocating their time. Researchers surveyed paraeducators who were attending their state or regional paraeducator conferences in the…

This study examined perceived advantages and disadvantages of teacher-paraeducator teams, discussing how to enhance the effectiveness of such teams. Focus groups were held with three groups of paraeducators and three groups of teachers from rural and urban schools in Idaho and Utah. Participants shared their views on using a team approach to their…

Recently, one southeastern Idaho school's special-education aides were upgraded to paraprofessional status. All 28 para-educators are women, have at least a high-school diploma, and have job descriptions specifying what they should know and accomplish in the classroom. Training and compensation particulars are discussed. (MLH)

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 introduced new requirements for paraprofessionals, specifying criteria for them to achieve "highly qualified" status. This article describes a study which explored the perceptions of teachers and paraprofessional teams as to whether the paraprofessionals would be considered "highly…

Complaints, hearings, legal opinions, and lawsuits on issues surrounding the training and supervision of paraprofessionals are increasing. Concern over the lack of preparation of paraprofessionals and the sporadic nature of the training that is available to them (Morgan, Hofmeister, & Ashbaker, 1995; Pickett, 1996) have led to the development…

Hiring increasing numbers of paraeducators can provide additional learning support and a linguistic/cultural link to the community. However, such personnel may have frenetic schedules, responsibilities divided among several schools, and inadequate supervision and communication links. Recommendations for principals, teachers, and bilingual…

This article includes the contents of a paper presented at the 1999 National Staff Development Conference, then summarizes data collected from attendees of that conference session in response to a written survey distributed and completed during the session. The conference session explained that paraeducators require training, but there is concern…

This paper discusses the emerging national issues surrounding supervision of paraeducators in the classroom and provides initial guidance on practical ways to supervise effectively. It begins by describing the current situation in the U.S., focusing on two important issues: the training of teachers as supervisors and training for paraeducators.…

This final report describes accomplishments and activities of the 4-year Super-Vision project, designed to train teachers to supervise paraeducators in their work with students who have disabilities. The project used a problem-solving, consultative model, validated curriculum materials ("Teamwork and Evaluation"), and a training of trainers…

This article reviews the literature on preparing teachers to work with and supervise paraeducators in classrooms serving students at risk or with disabilities. Although considerable agreement was found on the content of such preparation, the review found that the number of researchers and developers in this area is currently small. (DB)

This book provides advice and activities to help forge productive working relationships between teachers and paraeducators. Chapter 1, "Leading the Classroom Instructional Team," examines teacher responsibilities as leaders of classroom instructional teams, discussing how their new roles as paraeducator supervisors can mesh with more traditional…

Thirty training programs for paraeducators in the United States were identified through a literature search and from information gathered at national conferences. A comparison of program purposes and content revealed that, while motivation for program development may be similar among program developers, there is little apparent consensus on…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 provided a clear mandate to school administrators to provide additional training for professional and paraprofessional staff. With its requirement that school districts must ensure that all staff are "highly qualified" for the roles assigned to them, it leaves no room for excuses or…

This paper gives a brief outline of the Third Annual Paraeducator Conference. Papers include: "How to Stop Problematic Behaviors" (H. K. Reavis); "Using Incentives with Tough Kids" (W. R. Jenson); "How Do I Accurately and Successfully Dispute My Own Worst Thoughts?" (M. W. Egan); "IDEA '97: The Law has Changed:…