The aim of this study is to identify the expressions of legitimacy work available to professional support staff at contemporary higher education institutions (HEIs) and how these expressions can be understood as strategies in their work. Academics are the given audience for this legitimacy work. Professional support staff are commonly described as…

This paper outlines how four community colleges, and a large public university, collaborated to support over 80 paraprofessionals who sought to finish their bachelor's degree and earn licensure. Funding from a statewide "Grow Your Own" initiative allowed the teacher educators at the community colleges and university to put in place…

Professional staff occupy an essential role in universities, and yet they have received little attention in the existing French literature, despite the considerable changes afoot in academic institutions. Based on qualitative research consisting primarily of 43 semi-structured interviews, this article looks at representations of development…

This case study examined how the academic advising (hence, advising) component of a Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher program can be tailored to honor bilingual/bicultural paraprofessionals' (hence, BL/BC paras) assets and differential needs. Data collection strategies included participant observation, interviews, a focus group, field notes, and…

This article looks at the opportunities and barriers paraprofessionals face on their journey to becoming teachers and makes some recommendations for ways that colleges and universities, districts, and accrediting bodies may better serve, retain, and promote this unique population of educators. The article identifies shifts in higher education like…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to examine the relationship between level of job satisfaction and perceived organizational support among nonexempt employees at East Central University. A stepwise multiple regression research design was used to investigate the association between the…

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…

Paraprofessionals have increasingly served as a support service for students with disabilities. Yet, scholars have urged caution in the overuse of assigning paraprofessional supports. Furthermore, it is unclear how states provide guidance to local stakeholders in determining the best use of paraprofessionals. Thus, in this study, we conducted a…

The role of the preservice teacher, during the final semester of the collegiate journey, has typically consisted of a fixed amount of time spent in one classroom as an opportunity to learn the day-to-day operations. This includes lesson planning, classroom management, and all other duties of the assigned teacher. Factor in a global pandemic, and…

Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) are tasked with providing preservice teachers with pedagogical theory, practical field experiences, mentorship, and scaffolded professional dispositions during critical phases of their preparation. In addition, EPPs collaborate with school districts and state departments of education to address critical issues…

Purpose: District-university partners increasingly rely on "grow-your-own" licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP -- the Licensed Educators' Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as…

In the United States, people often feel like they need to choose between pursuing a conventional four-year college degree or working, leaving millions of people with no opportunity to achieve the professional and economic advancement that comes with a bachelor's degree. What if this is a false choice? Apprenticeship Degrees offer a hybrid option…

In this paper, the guest editors consider the direction of research on teaching assistants (TAs), and how academics can elevate the field within the spheres of education and the social sciences. We begin by unpicking, and endorsing, Giangreco's idea of applying the 'Maslow's Hammer test' (expressed in this special issue) to manuscripts about…

The nationwide shortage of special educators is well documented. Preparedness is a key component of building self-efficacy and longevity in the PK-12 teaching field (Clark & Newberry, 2019; Darling-Hammond et al., 2002; Ingersol et al., 2012; Ondrasek et al., 2020). This qualitative study examined the preparedness of novice special education…

Paraprofessional support is increasingly implemented in schools as part of inclusive school development in many countries, primarily for students with Special Educational Needs. Educational research has shown growing interest in paraprofessional support in inclusive schools, focusing on the conceptual design and professionalization of this…