Special Education Teachers’ Experiences Supporting and Supervising Paraeducators

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in paraeducator supports, in large part because students with low incidence disabilities are being included more frequently in general education settings. As a result, special education teachers have been given additional supervisory responsibilities related to directing the work of paraeducators in special and general education settings. Many teachers, however, feel unprepared for this supervisory role. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of current practices in paraeducator supervision, the authors interviewed 13 special education teachers who were nominated by district special education administrators as exemplary supervisors of paraeducators. From the interviews, three themes emerged: creating effective teams, ensuring appropriate training and evaluation, and recommendations for the field. Practices for paraeducators working with students with low incidence disabilities in general education settings are noted in the first two themes. Implications for policy, practice, teacher preparation, and future research are also discussed.

Pre‐service teacher‐delivered behavioral skills training: A pyramidal training approach

“…Practically, the responsibility of training paraeducators in the classroom often falls on special education teachers (Suter & Giangreco, ). However, many new teachers feel underprepared to manage paraeducators and find the prospect of training other staff members intimidating (Douglas, Chapin, & Nolan, ). With approximately 451,000 special educators in classrooms (Bureau of Labor Statistics, ) and 39/50 states requiring student teaching experience to be a minimum of 10 weeks, university preparation programs are left with the responsibility of training not only instructional strategies for students but also management strategies when working with paraeducators.…”

Teaching Assistants in Inclusive Classrooms: A Systematic Analysis of the International Research

“…However, few educators are taught in their teacher preparation programs to work effectively with TAs in inclusive classrooms (Radford et al, 2015;Sharma & Loreman, 2014;Webster et al, 2010). Therefore, both TAs and educators would benefit from training that helps them understand and acquire the skills to perform their various roles and to communicate and collaborate effectively (Douglas et al, 2016;Radford et al, 2015;.…”

“…Teaching assistants (TAs), also referred to as paraprofessionals, teacher aides, and paraeducators are increasingly being employed to support the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms in many developed countries throughout the world (Butt, 2016;Douglas, Chapin, & Nolan, 2016;Egilson & Traustadottir, 2009;Keating & O'Connor, 2012;Radford, Bosanquet, Webster, & Blatchford, 2015). With the goal of providing teachers with more opportunities to interact with students with disabilities and to collaborate with other professionals (Giangreco, 2013), TAs perform a range of non-instructional roles (Harris & Aprile, 2015) and appropriately trained and supervised TAs may deliver complementary instructional services designed to supplement rather than replace the instruction provided by teachers (Giangreco, 2013;Salend, 2016).…”

A Systematic Review of Paraprofessional Training Materials

“…. knowledge and skills to serve children with disabilities.” Yet, researchers consistently note that paraprofessionals often receive no formal training, only on-the-job training from a teacher or other paraprofessional (Douglas, Chapin, & Nolan, 2016; Giangreco et al, 2002), which relies on informal, localized, individualized approaches to training that are often facilitated by a teacher who may not be prepared to provide effective supervision (Carter et al, 2009; Trautman, 2004). However, formal training for paraprofessionals can also be challenging due to time and budget limitations (Douglas, McNaughton, & Light, 2014; R.…”