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

Educational Paraprofessionals: Multifaceted
Members of the School Staff

Our Choice of terms... Throughout this report, we use the terms paraprofessionals and teaching assistants--briefly, TAs--to refer to members of the school staff whose primary responsibilities are to support instructional programs under the direction of staff who have professional certificates. As a matter of local custom or formal agreements, districts around the country use a variety of titles for those who do this work; assistant teacher, paraeducator, and educational technician are only a few. In some places, these titles refer to personnel with different ranks or levels of employment. The term "teacher aide," once widely used, now appears less often. Paraprofessionals are often considered "education support personnel" or "classified staff." The profiles in this report provide a sampling of the variety of contemporary terms and corresponding roles.

Schools and districts are improving the substance and effectiveness of paraprofessionals' work by providing them with appropriate training, instructional team support, and supervision. In a range of innovations, school improvement teams have found myriad organizational roles for paraprofessionals to play.¹

For example, many schools employ paraprofessionals as instructional assistants who help individual students during teacher-led lessons or related tutorials, gather and prepare lesson materials, and guide reinforcement and enrichment activities. In some schools, paraprofessionals facilitate communication among teachers, parents, and other community partners. Educating parents and stimulating community involvement may be important parts of their work. Some use their bilingual skills and bicultural knowledge to promote the educational development of students with limited proficiency in English. Others track absenteeism and work with families to promote regular student attendance. Specially trained paraprofessionals work in school libraries, college counseling centers, computer labs, nursing stations, and work experience programs. Many contribute to a safe, courteous, and productive school climate by supervising students in the lunchroom, in hallways, and on playgrounds. Before and after school hours, some paraprofessionals help students with homework, lead them in special interest clubs, and coach informal sports teams.

In some Title I programs, well trained and supervised paraprofessionals supplement the main program's resources to help educationally disadvantaged students reach high academic standards. In many communities, paraprofessionals serve as advocates and advisors for students and families whose status as new immigrants or migrant workers may pose challenges to children's academic progress. Paraprofessionals nurture the emerging social and cognitive competence of preschoolers and engage parents in thoughtful discussions about raising healthy and academically successful children. In programs for at-risk adolescents, paraprofessionals mentor, cajole, and help youngsters learn to say no to destructive impulses and yes to educational opportunity. Paraprofessionals also contribute to adult education or family literacy programs associated with parent involvement initiatives.

This Idea Book highlights the conditions under which paraprofessionals can contribute to children's school success. However, interviews with many educators reveal that this contribution is often compromised by limited or short-sighted program planning and implementation. Leaders in the professional associations for teaching assistants cite examples of poor screening, assignment, and supervision that place paraprofessionals in situations for which they are not adequately trained or supported. The desire to stretch shrinking budgets to meet student needs leads some districts to use assistants to do the work of certified teachers. To save money or limit turnover, decisionmakers may reassign paraprofessionals hired, for example, to promote parent involvement or monitor attendance to positions demanding different skills, such as translating lesson content or tutoring in math. The best interests of students are not served by such practices. Avoiding these common pitfalls, the projects and programs featured in this Idea Book illustrate how educators improve overall school effectiveness by creating appropriate roles for paraprofessionals, choosing qualified candidates to fill those roles, and providing adequate organizational and professional development to ensure solid performance.

In developing this Idea Book, several themes about the work of paraprofessionals emerged. First, paraprofessionals are often neighbors familiar with the local culture that shapes children's life in the community as well as with the world of formal schooling; for this reason they can play a unique and important role in students' education. Second, paraprofessionals value job-related education, whether it is offered as an inservice program or outside coursework, and they worry when they are given assignments for which they are ill-prepared. They know that good intentions are no substitute for skill. Third, the extent of paraprofessionals' contribution is influenced by the overall effectiveness of the organization and program in which they work. Sound programs operated by well-run organizations enable all members of educational teams to make their utmost contribution. If the program does not match the needs of the students or if the school fails to take advantage of its human resources, paraprofessionals, among others, will be prevented from doing their best work.

A Brief History of Paraprofessionals in America's Schools

During the 1960s and 1970s, schools hired more paraprofessionals and expanded their roles as a result of demographic pressures and provisions in federal legislation such as Head Start and Title I. Further specialization of paraprofessional roles occurred after the enactment of two additional federal laws: the Bilingual Education Act and the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA). The Bilingual Education Act's enactment in 1968 led to the hiring of bilingual teaching assistants to address the shortage of certified bilingual teachers, a practice that continues today. Another major expansion in paraprofessional employment occurred after EHA's enactment in 1974, as schools and local education agencies struggled to provide individualized services for students with disabilities. The recent trend toward increasing inclusion of handicapped students in mainstream classroom activities will generate additional demands on paraprofessionals in regular and compensatory education assignments, as well as on those who work in special education. Paraprofessionals have traditionally been key players in Title I programs, and new provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that call for intensive efforts to increase parent involvement may also generate a demand for paraprofessionals.

State regulation also played a role in the increased use of paraprofessionals. Eighteen states mandate the employment of teaching assistants for certain programs; ten target special education programs. Early childhood education is another area in which some states prescribe the use of paraprofessionals. In Tennessee, for example, recent education reforms call for districts to hire at least one teaching assistant for every three teachers in grades K-3.

The breadth of paraprofessionals' work was documented in a 1990 study that involved 18,000 teaching assistants in Los Angeles Unified School District. Almost three-quarters of the group spent time duplicating materials--a traditional TA assignment--but half or more also reported helping with discipline, tutoring in reading and content areas, testing, and translating for parents and students with limited English proficiency.

As a result of changes in federal and state law, the duties and responsibilities of teaching assistants have expanded dramatically, but their training has not always kept pace. The pressure to provide special services and increase attention to individual needs, combined with the realities of school funding formulas, sometimes results in paraprofessionals overextending their responsibilities. Bilingual teaching assistants, for example, are often asked to assume the role of primary teacher--a role beyond their education and expertise. Paraprofessionals in compensatory education programs are often assigned to pullout instruction that they may be ill-prepared to implement. Education in conflict resolution and behavior management is seldom offered to paraprofessionals assigned to student supervision tasks. Performing their responsibilities competently is a matter of great concern to paraprofessionals; however, expanding their roles has resulted, in some cases, in mismatches between paraprofessionals' preparation and the duties of their actual assignments.

[Executive Summary]

[Paraprofessionals and Their Work]