Non-teaching staff comprise over half of all school employees and their turnover may be consequential for school operation, culture, and student success, yet we lack evidence documenting their attrition. We use 11 years of administrative data from Oregon to examine mobility and exit among teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other…

Effective classroom management is critical to supporting student learning and success in school. However, little research has focused specifically on the impact of classroom management on student mathematics achievement, especially in the early elementary grades or in a small group (i.e., Tier 2) context. To address this need we investigated the…

A small group of midsize land-grant institutions in the western United States responded to a survey on what tools they used for troubleshooting, what activities they accomplished using the tools, and who performed their troubleshooting. Most respondents use subscription-manager administration tools, email programs, electronic resource management…

The current educational climate emphasizes the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education. This results in an increased effort to enhance and maintain an inclusive environment. Consequently, the use of paraeducators for support has increased (Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 2002). This is particularly true for physical education…

This article identifies competencies needed by paraprofessionals working in early childhood special education including ways to document various mastery levels. It describes use of the competencies in Oregon's early childhood special education personnel development program. It explains the process used to identify needed competencies and also…

Personnel policy guidelines to enhance the use of educational assistants are provided in this publication. Suggestions are offered for local program development based on statutory guidelines, Oregon Administrative Rules, and local board policy. Contents include a definition of "educational assistant," job qualifications, application and…

This article reports on one phase of a three-year ethnographic study of 20 bilingual paraeducators, drawing on photographic analysis and narrative inquiry. Enrolled in a credential program, paraeducators photographed "what your life is like as a bilingual paraeducator preparing to become a certified teacher." Participants later…

The purpose of this study was to provide knowledge not previously available to professional educators concerning the paraprofessionals in Oregon secondary schools. The study was concerned with an analysis of differentials in paraprofessional role expectations as they occur among and between administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals. An…

A consequence of the trend for paraprofessional employment in the schools is that the traditional teaching division of labor in schools in being substantially changed to provide teachers with work assistance and opportunities to specialize more effectively in instructional tasks. The two central questions posed in this study ask if the new…

Beaverton is one of five school districts in the nation in the advanced stages of adopting a differentiated staffing program. This packet of three brochures describes their program. One report reflects the recommended job descriptions made for and by the staff of an intermediate school. Another report summarizes written reaction reports submitted…

Complying with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has presented special problems for small, rural, and isolated schools. This document presents results of surveys and interviews of county and district superintendents, principals, teachers, trustees, and curriculum directors of small, rural, and isolated schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,…

This report is the fourth in a series describing the background, theory, and progress of the Differentiated Staffing Project in the Eugene, Oregon, School District. This report discusses the effects of the addition of paid paraprofessionals, or Teaching Assistants (TAs), to the unitized, differentiated staffing schools in Eugene. Specifically, it…

This report is the first in a series describing the background, theory, and progress of the Differentiated Staffing Project in the Eugene, Oregon, School District. This particular report reviews the history of the project and outlines the organizational structure that has emerged and developed in the experimental elementary schools. A number of…

This report of the Oregon Special Education Technology Task Force presents recommendations reflecting both the demands expected early in the coming century for students with disabilities and corresponding advances in technology. It encompasses four broad areas: administration; professional development; children, youth, and their families; and…