Clarity of the Educational Assistant Role: A Look toward Policy and Practices

Abstract

As an Educational Assistant (EA) working in an urban Ontario School Board, I aim to explore my ontological and epistemological views on policy implications that impact my work. Over the past two decades, I have witnessed the evolution of the EA role from providing academic and one-to-one developmental support to managing multiple student caseloads with the most challenging school needs. While the demands have increased, my concern is that the voice of EAs needs to keep pace with the changes in the role. From my position through a reflexive self-study and literature review, I examined my frontline experience, detailing anonymous work experiences related to the language within the Ontario R.R. O. 1990, Reg. 306: Special Education Programs and Services using the theoretical lens of critical policy theory. A literature review found data specific to Special Education and the marginal frontline employee voice. The critical policy theory framework supported an in-depth examination of the relationship between meaning making within policy and practice outcomes. The self-study method allowed engagement with my experiences and research findings to advocate for authentic policy for a changing role.