What paraeducators want you to know

Special Education Teachers’ Experiences Supporting and Supervising Paraeducators

“…As students with low incidence disabilities have increasingly been included in general education settings, the number of paraeducators have also increased (Alquarini & Gut, 2012; Riggs, 2004). Unfortunately, paraeducators supporting children with disabilities in general education settings often lack adequate support and supervision as they spend much of the day out of view of the supervising special education teacher (Alquarini & Gut, 2012).…”

“…Given these circumstances, traditional managerial models of supervision, in which a teacher observes the paraeducator and provides feedback (Wallace et al, 2001), may be problematic in general education settings where the supervising special education teacher may not be readily available. However collaborative models of supervision, often used in other areas of education (Nolan & Hoover, 2011), where teachers work together and encourage paraeducators to engage in independent reflection and goal setting may be more appropriate supervision models for paraeducators serving students with disabilities in general education settings (Drecktrah, 2000; Riggs, 2004). In addition, collaborative teaming approaches suggest inclusion is most successful when team roles are clearly defined (Chopra, Sandoval-Lucero, & French, 2011) and teams communicate, plan, and participate in learning opportunities together (Pickett, 1999).…”