Paraprofessionals have a wide range of responsibilities in the educational system to support students' academic, behavioral, and social needs. The law does not specifically define how paraprofessionals will receive training for these tasks, but many districts require teachers to fill this role. While some educators may receive adequate training, literature shows that the majority of preservice and in-service teachers feel unprepared to train, manage, and supervise paraprofessionals. In this exploratory study, grounded qualitative methods were used to analyze data from course materials and semi-structured interviews regarding faculty perspectives of current practices used in teacher preparation programs. Themes which emerged from the data included: (1) Informal or ad hoc training; (2) Recognition of the need to support conceptual awareness; and (3) Infrastructural issues. Participants in this study used their knowledge, background, and experiences to create meaningful and relevant activities with concepts that preservice teachers need to work with paraprofessionals. However, instruction tended to be informal or ad hoc due to a number of infrastructural issues and constraints surrounding current practices. The findings of the study were congruent with previous literature regarding course materials, activities, and types of training. Additionally, this study revealed some issues at the national, state, and local levels that have influenced the extent of information provided to preservice teachers regarding working with paraprofessionals.

The authors queried 336 paraeducators working in 34 high schools or special programs offering transitional services for adult students with disabilities. The survey included (a) the contexts in which they support students with disabilities, (b) their knowledge about core competencies in educating these students, (c) the job-related tasks they perform most frequently, (d) their perceived ability to perform these tasks effectively, and (e) their need for further training across these knowledge and task areas. The study replicated a study conducted by Carter, O'Rourke, Sisco, and Pelsue (2009) surveying paraeducators working in K-12 settings. The authors found that paraeducators worked with a broad range of disabilities in multiple types of transitional school or program settings, with moderate supervision using varied types of teaching strategies, and they received most of their training on the job. Although most paraeducators reported having adequate training across knowledge standards, the quality of training received was reported as informal. Reported tasks performed most frequently were nontransition related. Preparing for transition and IEP plans were less frequently performed and trained for; while tasks less pertinent to students in transitional settings were more frequently performed and prepared for such as one-to-one instruction. Supervision under a certified teacher was reported to be moderately occurring (less than 50% of the time). Future research and development of standards for transitional paraeducators working with adults with disabilities is recommended. Identification of needed specific skills should be coupled with more formal training.

abstract: This mixed methods action research study describes the benefits of a Team Leadership Community of Practice group for six early career special education teachers who supervised paraeducators. Problem-posing conversations with peers were a catalyst for professional learning and leadership transformation. The theoretical framework included Experiential Learning Theory, Transformational Leadership, and Communities of Practice—combined as a tri-theory lens. Data collection instruments included individual interviews, a focus group, content logs from audio recordings, a researcher journal, and two researcher-created instruments—the Intentional Leadership Actions and Paraeducator Outcomes Survey and the Teacher Group Reflection Survey. Findings indicated that team leaders favored collaborative partnerships with paraeducators rather than supervisory roles. Given perceived communication barriers as team leaders, participants spent time preparing for conversations with paraeducators. Together, they co-constructed understandings and stretched one another as a learning Community of Practice (CoP), as defined by Wenger (1998). The CoP was a framework for Experiential Learning when team leaders gathered together to share their concrete leadership experiences, reflect, conceptualize abstract meaning, and discuss possible strategies for future experimentation. Additionally, team leaders experienced individual reflection following CoP gatherings as they considered peer suggestions, fine-tuned ideas, and planned leadership actions. As team leaders implemented new leadership ideas and experienced positive outcomes, they reported increased efficacy and desire for additional leadership opportunities in their classrooms and beyond. A trilogy of poems complements the discussion of findings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2016

Paraprofessionals often constitute the primary support system for special education students and are core members of special education instructional teams. Therefore, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act requires that paraprofessionals receive adequate training, including training in evidence-based practices (EBP). However, paraprofessionals often do not obtain the training and professional development they need to become qualified. The unpreparedness of paraprofessionals may lead to discouraging student outcomes. Informed by social constructivism, the purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand the perspectives of 6 special education administrators, 5 special education teachers, and 1 special education paraprofessional on paraprofessionals' implementation of EBP and the status of EBP training for paraprofessionals. Purposely, and within the context of organizational sociocultural conditions, this study queried the perspectives of the participants in the purposeful sample on paraprofessional experience and training in EBP. During exploratory data analysis, open coding was used to analyze data thematically and identify central sociocultural themes. There was 1 overarching theme (organizational contexts of EBP implementation), 4 major subthemes (resources for EBP implementation, intrinsic attributes of professionals implementing EBP, extrinsic attributes of professionals implementing EBP, and acknowledging and valuing the role and importance of paraprofessionals tasked with implementing EBP), and several minor subthemes. This study may result in implementation of a yearlong paraprofessional professional development project, increased understanding and implementation of EBP, expansion of professional learning communities (PLC), and improvement of student outcomes.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka elevassistenters uppfattningar om vad den stöttning de ger till elever i särskolan bidrar till för elevens kunskapsutveckling. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats. En intervjustudie har genomförts med åtta elevassistenter. Empirin har analyserats genom en tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att stöttningen har olika karaktär och att elevassistenterna riktar sin stöttning mot både elever och lärare. Förutsättningar för stöttning i form av samverkan och lärarens insats påverkar både elevassistentens roll och den stöttning som möjliggörs. Ett anmärkningsvärt resultat är att elevassistenter tycks ha ett motiv att avlasta läraren genom att helt eller delvis ta över planerings- och undervisningsansvaret avseende enskilda elever. Då studiens resultat ställs i relation till hur scaffolding förstås ur ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv uppstår frågor och funderingar, viktiga att lyfta i samtal mellan lärare och elevassistenter för att kvalificera – utveckla och fördjupa – en samverkan. Elevassistenter bidrar till bättre förutsättningar för elevens lärande och kunskapsutveckling i särskolan. Om lärarens undervisning utgår från ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv på scaffolding framstår samverkan kring förståelsen av vad stöttning är, stöttningens preciserade syfte, innehåll och vuxnas roller i klassrummet som helt centralt. / The purpose of the study was to investigate paraprofessionals perceptions of what the support they give to students in special schools for children with learning disabilities contributes to the student's knowledge development. The study has a qualitative approach. An interview study was conducted with eight paraprofessionals. The empirics have been analyzed through a thematic content analysis. The results show that the support has a different character and that the paraprofessionals direct their support towards both students and teachers. Conditions for support in the form of collaboration and the teacher's efforts affect both the paraprofessional role and the support that is made possible. A remarkable result is that paraprofessionals seem to have a motive to relieve the teacher by taking over all or part of the planning and teaching responsibility regarding individual students. When the results of the study are set in relation to how scaffolding is understood from a social constructivist perspective, questions and considerations arise, important to raise in conversations between teachers and paraprofessionals to qualify - develop and deepen - a collaboration. Paraprofessionals contribute to better conditions for the student's learning and knowledge development in the special school. If the teacher's teaching is based on a social constructivist perspective on scaffolding, collaboration around the understanding of what support is, the specified purpose of support, content and the roles of adults in the classroom appears to be absolutely central.

Contingent praise is widely recognized as a universal, practical, and highly effective classroom management tool. While previous research has examined the effectiveness of performance feedback to increase teachers’ use of contingent praise in the classroom and to observe its effects on students’ behavior, no research exists on the effects of increased ratios of praise-to-behavior correction statements by paraprofessionals in the classrooms of preschoolers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This research was conducted in an urban, specialized pre-school program, for young students with developmental disabilities. The researcher implemented a performance feedback protocol, measuring two paraprofessionals’ ability to achieve a target 1:1, followed by a 4:1 ratio of praise-to-behavior correction statements. Students’ on-task, off-task, and disruptive behaviors were also measured. Results demonstrated that: (a) performance feedback was an effective and well received tool for in / Applied Behavioral Analysis

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to provide an examination of the relationships between general education teachers, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals and the influences of these relationships on students with disabilities. This study was conducted through the process of semi-structured interviews with general education teachers, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals working in two Tennessee school districts. The researcher found that communication practices, training, perspectives, time, role expectations, development of partnerships, and the creation of supportive environments affect the development of working relationships among special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and general education teachers. The researcher found that these relationships influence the experiences of students with disabilities in a significant and meaningful way. The researcher provides recommendations for current practices to promote the development of successful working relationships and provides suggestions for future research.

Paraprofessionals in self-contained settings are often involved in helping students to learn the skills to manage their behaviors. A need has been identified for paraprofessionals to join teachers in professional development opportunities in order to better meet the needs of the students who receive their services (Konza & Fried, 2012). By recognizing paraprofessionals as vital members of a student’s educational team (Boudreau & Twigg, 2011), informal professional development opportunities throughout the school day, such as professional conversations, may provide paraprofessionals with opportunities to share their experiences with each other and with their teachers, as well as to make collaborative decisions about how to support students’ efforts to meet their behavioral goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the shared perspectives of teachers, paraprofessionals, and school administrators about professional conversations between teachers and paraprofessionals in self-contained classrooms for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in supporting students’ efforts to meet their behavioral goals. Q methodology was chosen in order to take an exploratory approach to gain access to the viewpoints of teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators about these professional conversations. This study involved 37 participants that included 15 teachers, 14 paraprofessionals, and 8 administrators from five schools with self-contained ASD or EBD classrooms. Four factors were found in this study. Natural Communicators seem to find opportunities throughout the day to communicate about behaviors. Guided Communicators seem to need structure to ensure that they join the conversations about behaviors. Expert Communicators seem to have learned how to put the necessary supports in place to promote professional conversations and remove the barriers that inhibit them. Hierarchical Communicators seem to value the role of the teacher as the classroom leader and the hierarchical structure found within school systems. With further research and an expansion of these factors into a more complete theory, this may be a worthwhile line of research to help administrators find a way to balance the needs of each member of their staff within self-contained classrooms for students with ASD and/or EBD and to ensure that professional conversations are occurring to improve student outcomes.

No description available.