This capstone project focuses on the use of Improvement Science Methodology to improve the onboarding, training, and retention of paraeducators. The project aims to involve those closest to the work in identifying and addressing challenges through a process of continuous improvement. The author draws on relevant literature around improvement…

Background/Context: Staff turnover is a critical issue for practitioners and policymakers alike. Especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant attention has been dedicated to developing policy interventions to address high staff shortages. Intervention around staffing instability may be particularly pertinent for special…

Paraeducators are critically important members of school communities, but there is little statewide research on the characteristics of paraeducators. We therefore use over 25 years of longitudinal data from Washington state to provide a descriptive portrait of the paraeducator workforce. Paraeducators are more racially and ethnically diverse than…

Educational paraprofessionals have had an increased presence in English state schools since the first decade of the 21st century, but research has been limited in terms of who undertakes paraprofessional roles, what they entail and how such work is perceived by others. This paper compares one such paraprofessional role, the learning mentor, with…

Recent research documents the positive impact that paraprofessionals have on student learning. Given these strengths, states and districts across the country have developed programs to attract and prepare paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. Despite increased interest in expanding pathways for the paraeducator workforce, research has…

Paraeducators are among the largest categories of public education employees and are increasingly seen as a pool of potential teachers. However, little is known about paraeducator-to-teacher transitions. Using statewide administrative data, we show that while paraeducators may be more racially/ethnically diverse than the teacher workforce, Black…

While the need for teachers is surging, the supply of teachers is decreasing, resulting in a pervasive teacher shortage (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Sutcher, Darling-Hammond & Carver-Thomas, 2016). Teacher vacancies perpetuate the opportunity gap that already impacts students of color and low-income students across the country…

There are many types of jobs under the heading education support professionals (ESPs): paraeducators, technical service workers, skilled trade workers, and health workers. Making up about one third of the public education workforce from early education through college, ESPs not only ensure that schools run smoothly, they also play a role in…

Assistant teachers are an integral component of the preschool classroom, planning and implementing educational activities and supporting individual children and small groups, and often bring linguistic, cultural, and racial/ethnic diversity to the teaching field. However, there is limited research on the impact of assistant teacher qualifications…

In today's climate, with the ever-increasing demand for competent behavior analytic services, it is necessary for behavior analysts to work across a variety of settings, including home, school, and community, overseeing instructional aide staff as the frontline providers of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. It is common practice for ABA…

Unfortunately, Arkansas has faced a massive shortage of certified teachers for decades. Statewide, 4 percent of public school teachers are uncertified, with another 3 percent teaching out of field. In many districts, the percentage of uncertified is much higher: as high as 56 percent in the Helena-West Helena School District, and 52 percent in the…

The number of teaching assistants (TAs) in schools in the UK has risen in recent years, but there remains a lack of clarity about the roles being undertaken by these support staff. This article reports findings from a study investigating how the TA role is understood both by the pupils being supported and by TAs themselves. Eleven students with…

This study investigated the impact of accessibility training on incoming teaching assistants' (TAs) awareness of and preparation to implement academic adjustments and accommodations for students with disabilities. Pre- and postworkshop questionnaires and data gathered from weekly in-service group discussions indicated that TAs' knowledge of and…

In Victoria, Australia teachers' aides (TAs) are employed to provide support to students with disabilities in accessing their education. The role of the TAs varies within and across school settings. Drawing from the findings of a quantitative study, the purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of teachers' aides' perceptions of their…

Unfortunately, far too many Arkansas students are being taught by teachers who are uncertified in the subject they are teaching. This report analyzes the extent and potential causes of Arkansas' teacher shortage and propose a series of recommendations for state policymakers. Two primary findings about the shortage were identified: (1) Shortages…