Recruiting Paraeducators
The pervasive and chronic shortage of instructional assistants for special education is critical given that special education teachers in Oregon have identified adequate numbers of well prepared instructional assistants as the single most important factor in providing a supportive teaching and learning environment.
This Brief and those in coming months will explore issues and resources related to the retention of paraeducators.
The March Strategy Brief highlights the report, The Employment and Preparation of Paraeducators, the State of the Art.
Developed by the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals, the purpose of this report is to provide policymakers and administrators in SEAs, LEAs, IHEs and other stakeholders with information they can build on as they work to address issues and practices that currently impact the employment, roles, training/education, and supervision of paraeducators. The report provides a historical perspective of the evolution of paraprofessional roles and preparation, a look at the present situation, teacher and paraeducator roles, demographics, state policies, and developing strategies.
The Employment and Preparation of Paraeducators, the State of the Art is available full-text on the Center's website.