This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences of graduate-level teacher candidates enrolled in teacher residency programs and serving as teacher aides or assistants (TAs). Some participants were graduate-level teacher candidates already employed as TAs in a large urban district and enrolled in an Urban Pipeline Residency…

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…

This paper considers the evolution of the teaching assistant (TA) role in English primary schools, from the once pejorative description of them as paint pot washers to current conceptualisations of them as pedagogues. How the TA role has evolved and the issues associated with the changes to their deployment in mainstream primary schools will be…

This qualitative study examines obstacles hindering social inclusion into mainstream classes from the perspective of Czech high school students with congenital physical disabilities. Data obtained from in-depth interviews were subjected to a situational analysis, with results indicating that the participants (N=10) perceived as challenging their…

Paraeducators play a marginal yet essential role in fulfilling teaching-related tasks in many international classrooms in China. In order to meet high standards of education, schools often provide professional training to paraeducators. However, in the training process, schools primarily focus on their own needs and rarely consider the personal…

Paraeducators are integral to the special education setting and work under the supervision of certified teachers. They provide support for students with various special needs and support the teacher in providing specialized instruction to meet these needs. This study sought to address the following research questions: (1) what are special…

Inclusive education is vital for the rights of all children to education to be met and teacher aides are key players in inclusive education efforts. But inclusive education policy aspirations, like other policies, often fail to be fully realised. In this article we focus on the inclusion of teacher aides in educational networks and the extent to…

The success of preschool programs is largely dependent upon a high-quality teaching workforce. Preschool educators are critical in supporting a child's socio-emotional development, motivation, school readiness, achievement, and overall learning. While expected to be professionally prepared similarly to their colleagues from elementary and…

Internationally, teacher assistants (TAs) have emerged as a prominent feature of inclusive educational service delivery and existing research has focused extensively on their roles, training and supervision. In the context of this special issue on TAs, this article describes reasons why relying extensively on TAs as a central feature of inclusive…

Educational robots have been used in many countries as teaching assistants in elementary schools but robotic education quality is not well established in Thailand. The primary objective of this study was to identify and confirm quality dimensions in robotic education from the teachers' perspectives. The sample size was 510 teachers who were…

Teaching assistants and teachers (N = 186) in Cambridgeshire primary schools in the UK were invited to participate in a survey to explore the perceived impact of school-based counselling (SBC) on pupils' cognitive, social, and emotional engagement. Participants were also asked which of these factors they believed were most important to a child's…

This case study explores the implementation of a collaborative initiative that transformed the traditional role of teaching assistants (TAs) into student-faculty partners in two psychology courses. The objective of the collaboration was to leverage the insights and contributions of undergraduate students as co-creators of instruction for students'…

This paper explores the leadership of ECEC principals in the private sector in Chile, which is barely investigated worldwide. In Chile, 10% of children attending ECEC are enrolled in private centres. Following a tradition of qualitative research, a multiple case study was carried out, allowing the exploration of four private ECEC settings.…

Schools rely heavily on paraeducators to support the delivery of special education services for students with disabilities (SWDs). However, paraeducators often lack formal training in implementing evidence-based practices. Traditional methods of professional development are not effective at producing long-term changes in classroom staff. Prior…

The study sought to establish the contribution of infrastructural availability to school growth and sustainable improvement of academic performance in selected secondary schools in Tororo District. The study employed a qualitative approach, and data were collected from school administrators, the management team and teachers using open-ended…