Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights…

Since the release of the 1998 publication "Good Teaching Matters," the colleagues at the Education Trust have been asked to make hundreds of presentations around the country on the difference that teachers make. Virtually everywhere, the response is the same: heads nod in agreement. Almost nobody, it seems, disputes the importance of…