ERIC Number: EJ1471728
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1540-7969
EISSN: EISSN-2169-2408
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Paraeducator Involvement in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: A Brief Report
Virginia L. Walker1; Megan E. Carpenter2; Sheldon L. Loman3
Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, v50 n2 p139-146 2025
Paraeducators assume a range of responsibilities to assist school members in supporting students who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004). These responsibilities often include supporting the behavioral needs of students with extensive support needs. Given the growing adoption of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) as a framework for supporting students' social, emotional, and behavioral needs and increasing reliance on paraeducators among schools in the United States, we conducted an exploratory survey study of 82 paraeducators to explore their involvement and perceived importance of involvement in various PBIS aspects, perceived barriers and facilitators of involvement in PBIS, and their interest in professional development to learn about PBIS. Our findings suggest that, although paraeducators valued involvement in PBIS, their overall level of involvement was low across most aspects. Common barriers included limited training and membership on PBIS teams, and paraeducators viewed in-district workshops and one-on-one coaching and mentoring as the most preferred approaches for learning about PBIS.
Descriptors: Teacher Aides, Positive Behavior Supports, Participation, Barriers, Influences, Professional Development, Elementary Secondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA; 2Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA; 3Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA