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Working with Paraprofessionals
Preparing future paraprofessionals and preparing future special education teachers to
work with paraprofessionals are both challenging tasks for higher education faculty. This section
includes resources that focus on this important aspect of our work.
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Alternatives to Overreliance on Paraprofessionals in Inclusive Schools
Though the utilization of special education paraprofessionals has increased, contemporary
literature and research highlight a series of concerns about the field’s continuing reliance
on this approach. This article presents a three-component administrative model for effective utilization of
paraprofessionals that includes paraprofessional supports, decision-making, and alternatives.
The bulk of the article provides composite descriptions about seven alternatives to overreliance
on paraprofessionals based on reports from school personnel who have implemented these alternatives.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/altparapro.pdf
“Be Careful What You Wish for…”: Five reasons to be concerned about the assignment of individual
paraprofessionals (2005)
Michael Giangreco, Susan Yuan, Barbara McKenzie, Patricia Cameron, and Janice Fialka.
Although some parents and/or teachers actively seek out an individual paraprofessional for a
student with a disability in order to include the student in general education classes, these
authors warn that have an adult by a student’s side for all or most of the day can interfere with a
student’s inclusion as a participating member of the classroom community. Potential benefits are
weighed against five reasons for concern about individual paraprofessional supports, followed by
considerations for educational teams.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Giangreco_2005.pdf
Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (2000)
Examining Latino Paraeducators' Interactions with Latino Students. Discusses the findings of research
that examined the impact of sociocultural factors on the interactions between Latino language-minority
students and Latino paraeducators. The study also explored whether a knowledge of students' culture
and communities, primary language, and interaction styles helps paraeducators and their cooperating
teachers to meet students' academic and social needs.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/ericlatino.pdf
Description and Employment Criteria of Instructional Paraprofessionals (2007)
Gilian Hapden-Thompson, Juliet Diehl, and Akemi Kinukawa.
This Issue Brief from the National Center on Education Statistics (1) offers a descriptive
portrait of the distribution of instructional paraprofessionals in all public elementary and
secondary schools by instructional responsibility and selected school characteristics and
(2) examines the educational attainment criteria used by school districts in hiring these
paraprofessionals.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Hapden-Thompson_2007.pdf
Employment and Preparation of Paraeducators: The State of the Art. (2003)
National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals, Utah State University. Pickett, Amy Lou, Likins,
Marilyn, & Wallace, Terri. The 7th in a series of State of the Art Reports, this paper
provides policymakers and administrators in State and local education agencies, higher education
faculty and administrators, and other stakeholders with information they can build on as they
work together to address issues and practices for the employment, training/education, and
supervision of paraeducators. Emphasis is placed on (a) development of standards for paraeducator
roles, preparation, and supervision, and (b) the need to prepare teachers to supervise and work
effectively with paraeducators.
http://www.nrcpara.org/resources/stateoftheart/index.php
Increasing Peer Interactions for Students with Severe Disabilities Via Paraprofessional Training
(2005)
Julie Causton-Theoharris and Kimber Malmgren.
This article addresses the phenomenon of paraprofessionals inadvertently intensifying the
social isolation of students with disabilities. This study investigated the effectiveness of a
training program aimed at teaching four paraprofessionals to facilitate interactions between
students with severe disabilities and their peers. Rates of paraprofessional facilitative behavior
increased following the intervention. Additionally, rates of student interaction in-creased
immediately and dramatically and were maintained after the intervention.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Causton-Theoharris_2005.pdf
Latino and Language Minority Teacher Projects Website.
Projects to increase the number of Latinos/Latinas and language minorities in the teaching profession by creating a career track
for practicing language minority paraeducators. Provides support and assistance - financially, socially, and economically - to
promising paraeducators to enable them to complete a teacher education program and become successful teachers in bilingual and
multicultural settings.
http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~cmmr/LTP.html
Maximize Paraprofessional Services for Students with Learning Disabilities
Both special and general education teachers must work closely with paraprofessionals who
support students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms. Knowing
how to make the most of the paraprofessional resources at hand is not easy, however.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6184
National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Website.
Utah State University
Addresses and shares information about issues and policy questions; provides technical assistance;
and disseminates information on management practices, regulatory procedures, and training models to improve
the recruitment, deployment, supervision, and career development of paraprofessionals. The web site includes
information on paraeducator professional development programs, mentoring systems, certification programs, and
career ladders. Links to sites of State and higher education programs are shown.
http://nrcpara.org/
Paraprofessionals (Prepared for the Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education)
The role of paraprofessionals in education has evolved over the past 50 years from assistance
with clerical tasks toward more instructional tasks. The contemporary role reflects changes
in educational practices, evolution of teachers’ roles, shifts in legislation and policy, and
shortages of qualified teachers. This paper reviews the history of the paraprofessional position
and the current literature on supply and demand, preparation and training, and certification and
licensure. A summary of the issues is provided, and implications for further research are
discussed
http://coe.ufl.edu/copsse/docs/IB-3/1/IB-3.pdf
Paraprofessionals: The “Sous-Chefs” of Literacy Instruction (2007)
Julie Causton-Theoharis, Michael Giangreco, Mary Beth Doyle, and Patricia Vadasy.
This article outlines commonalities from the body of literature discussing circumstances in which
paraprofessionals were used successfully to improve the reading skills of students. The commonalities
examined include situations where (a) paraprofessionals were used for supplemental rather than primary
instruction, (b) research-based reading approaches were used so that paraprofessionals were not
inappropriately asked to make pedagogical decisions, (c) paraprofessionals were explicitly and
extensively trained in the research-based reading approach, (d) paraprofessionals were explicitly
trained in behavior management, and (e) teachers and special educators provided paraprofessionals
with ongoing monitoring and feedback regarding their instruction. Each of these commonalities is
addressed and other practical considerations also are shared and discussed.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Causton-Theoharris_2007.pdf
Perspectives of Students With Intellectual Disabilities About Their Experiences With
Paraprofessional Support (2005)
Perspectives of students with disabilities are notably absent from research about special
education paraprofessionals. This study begins filling that gap by interviewing 16 young
adults with intellectual disabilities about their experiences attending general education
classes with paraprofessional support. Findings describe the primacy and exclusivity that
often exists between paraprofessionals and these students as characterized by four interrelated
themes regarding consumer perspectives of paraprofessionals as: mother, friend, protector, and
primary teacher. Although study participants provided both positive and negative perspectives on
these four descriptors, each descriptor represents cause for concern. Implications for practice
encourage schools to (a) consider the social validity of supports, (b) increase teacher involvement,
(c) highlight the importance of listening to students with disabilities, and (d) include them in
decisions about their own supports.
Broer, S.M., Doyle, M.B., & Giancreco, M.F. (2005). Perspectives of students with intellectual
disabilities about their experiences with paraprofessional support.
Exceptional Children, 71(4), 415-430.
The Professional Role of Connector (2004)
Ritu Chopra, Elena Sandoval-Lucero, Lorenso Aragon, Christina Bernal, Helen Berg de Balderas,
and Diane Carroll.
This article presents paraeducators’ perceptions of the role they play in connecting the school to
its community. Forty-nine paraeducators employed in various educational settings participated in
focus-group interviews. Paraeducators reported close relationships with students and their parents
that provided the basis for the paraprofessionals to act as connectors between parents and teachers,
parents and community services, students and teachers, students and their parents, and students and
their peers.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Chopra_2004.pdf
Questionable Utilization of Paraprofessionals in
Inclusive Schools: Are We Addressing Symptoms or Causes? (2005)
This article presents descriptive, quantitative data from 737 school personnel and
parents who support the education of students with a full range of disabilities in
general education classes. The study addresses (a) how special education teachers and
paraprofessionals spend their time, (b) perspectives of paraprofessionals about certain
paraprofessional practices, and (c) perspectives of professionals and parents about schoolwide
practices associated with inclusive special education that may contribute to reducing inappropriate
utilization of special education paraprofessionals. The findings highlight concerns and suggest
that focusing change efforts on paraprofessional issues without corresponding attention to general
and special education issues is akin to addressing the symptoms of a problem rather than its roots.
Giangreco, M.F. & Broer, S.M. (2005). Questionable utilization of paraprofessionals in inclusive schools:
Are we addressing symptoms or causes? Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities,
20(1), 10-26.
Training Community Members to Serve as Paraprofessionals in an Evidence-Based,
Prevention Program for Parents of Preschoolers (2005)
This article describes a paraprofessional training program for individuals living in a
community targeted for preventive intervention based on high levels of poverty and community
violence. The design and implementation of the training program are described in the context
of issues related to the use of paraprofessionals in community-based, preventive interventions
with parents of young children. The authors also provide insight into lessons learned from a
feasibility study as well as general guidelines for the development of paraprofessional
training programs for delivery of evidence-based programs.
Calzada, E.J., Caldwell, M.B., Brotman, L.M., Brown, E. J., Wallace, S.A., McQuaid, J.H., Rojas-Flores, L.,
& O’Neal, C.R. (2005). Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14(3), 387-402.
Training Paraprofessionals to Effectively Work With All Students (2007)
Charlene Cobb.
In this brief paper, the author discusses training paraprofessionals to be instructional leaders in
the school, under the guidelines of professional standards. The author suggests a school-wide
training sequence that involves (1) a needs assessment, (2) planned training sessions, and
(3) follow up and consultation. Designed to be embedded in the work paraprofessionals are
already doing in classrooms, Cobb presents such training as ongoing and customized to meet
the needs of a particular school and student population.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/Cobb_2007.pdf
Working with Paraprofessionals.
http://www.monarchcenter.org/pdfs/workwithparas_2003.pdf
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