Archived: Elements of Good Professional Practice

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Roles for Education Paraprofessionals in Effective Schools - 1997

Elements of Good Paraprofessional Practice

Clear Definitions of Paraprofessionals' Roles and Responsibilities

Role diversity. As described in previous sections, paraprofessionals now play many diverse educational roles, depending on the needs of individual teachers and the hiring guidelines and requirements of each program, school, district, and state. Those hired for specific programs--such as Title I, bilingual education, or special education programs--more often have roles and responsibilities implicitly or explicitly defined by the program. Well-developed collective bargaining agreements also promote analysis and descriptions of positions and duties that clarify expectations. However, many positions occupied by paraprofessionals are not so clearly defined, and at times, they may be pulled in different directions by those who direct and supervise them. A paraprofessional's role may be expanded informally or in response to a crisis, sometimes without corresponding adjustments in supervision. Such situations can lead to conflict, for example, when the principal and the paraprofessional's directing teacher unwittingly request that the paraprofessional perform tow tasks at the same time. In a best-case scenario, work duties have been specified to ensure reasonable accountability, and training and management systems supporting paraprofessionalsare regularly reviewed and updated to accommodate changes. However, those who work closely with TAs suggest that role overload and role conflict are more often the rule than the exception.

Allocation of time. In the past, few studies focused on how paraprofessionals' time is spent. Two recent studies shed some light on this subject. Chase's and Mueller's study (1993) of general classroom assistants found that they spent more than half of their time working with individual children, often helping a single child complete a worksheet in a discussion and review activity. They spent another one-third of their time in similar activities with small groups and about one-tenth listening to oral readings from the textbook. That study found that an average of only 2 percent of paraprofessionals' time was devoted to helping students with writing exercises.

High schools in Pittsford (New York) Central School District employ paraprofessional guidance to coordinate information about colleges for guidance counselors and students. Scheduling visits from college representatives, they distribute materials and disburse passes to students who wish to meet with specific representatives. Guidance assistants direct students and parents on how to use the district's college computer search program, and they help students fill out their college applications. Through frequent memos, the assistants keep counselors updated on college programs and scholarships.
Guidance assistants also serve as liaisons between the counseling office and Project Intervention, a countywide drug and alcohol intervention program in middle and high schools. The assistants are members of a school team that acts on notices from teachers and other concerned individuals and evaluates students suspected of having drug and alcohol problems. The team recommends action to the appropriate people, such as administrators, parents, or the students themselves. Guidance assistants report their findings on students who are under review to counselors. Before joining the team, the assistants participated in a five-day countywide training session on the detection of drug and alcohol abuse.
In addition, guidance assistants serve as liaisons between the guidance offices and the Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Project, which brings in African American students from inner-city Rochester. The assistants keep the project staff advised of student projects and of any salient issues.

For Title I programs, paraprofessionals have both noninstructional and instructional support responsibilities. Millsap and her colleagues (1993) reported that they spend 60 percent of their Title I reading/language arts instructional support time working with small groups of students and another 30 percent helping individuals. In regular classrooms, Title I assistants spend about equal time on small group and individual instructional support (49 percent and 44 percent, respectively) and the remaining 7 percent on clerical tasks. Teaching assistants also devote time to such noninstructional work as performing computer-assisted instructional program maintenance or other computer-related tasks and conducting home visits or other activities that involve parents.

Direction and supervision. According to most contracts, paraprofessionals work in coordination with or under the direction of classroom teachers and are supervised formally by the principal. Anecdotal evidence indicates, however, that, despite legal mandates and professional recommendations, a growing number of paraprofessionals are working without the appropriate direction of certified teachers. A 1992 report (Millsap, Turnbull, Moss, Brigham, Gamse, & Marks, 1992) showed that this trend applied to Title I programs, with about 20 percent of districts reporting that Title I assistants provide instruction on their own without a teacher's close direction (up from 7 percent in 1985-86). Title I specifies that certified teachers have the ultimate responsibility for diagnosing instructional needs, prescribing and implementing teaching strategies, assessing learning outcomes, and supervising instructional aides--responsibilities commensurate with their professional education. Paraprofessionals, whose training does not include preparation in these instructional roles, are unable to handle such assignments as effectively. This overextension bodes ill for the quality of not only students' experience but also the work on which formal supervision would be based. That is, when paraprofessionals are required to perform tasks beyond the scope of their training, they will seem inadequate, an assessment that could lead to low job ratings. Fair and effective direction and supervision ensure that paraprofessionals' roles and responsibilities are appropriate to their positions as support staff.

Paraprofessionals in Wichita, Kansas, public schools operate parent involvement centers in the district's elementary schools. These Title I parent involvement workers (PIWs) increase parental participation in education by offering parenting classes, facilitating family nights, and serving as liaisons between teachers and parents.
Teachers and PIWs collaborate to determine which students need PIW assistance. The PIW contacts the students' parents and invites them to the parent involvement center, where activities are correlated with the student's classroom learning. Through telephone calls and home visits, PIWs encourage parents to participate in the activities. They also prefer parents to social service agencies and health care agencies.

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[Elements of Good Paraprofessional Practice]

[Appropriate Job Qualifications]