Effective strategies for working with paraeducators

Paraeducators, also referred to as educational assistants, paraprofessionals, and instructional aides, have become an important part of the education of children with disabilities in many countries across the world (Chambers 2015). Today, paraeducators hold important instructional roles with students with disabilities (Carter et al. 2009), but receive limited training for these roles (Douglas et al. 2016, Giangreco et al. 2002). Additionally, special education teachers are often unprepared to train, manage and supervise paraeducators (Douglas et al. 2016). Special education teachers need instructional supports to prepare for their roles and responsibilities as trainers for and supervisors of paraeducators. The book, Effective Strategies for Working with Paraeducators (Styer and Fitzgerald 2015), may be useful for achieving this goal.

Styer and Fitzgerald (2015) provide a brief introduction of teacher supervision of paraeducators supporting students with disabilities. Written for a U.S. audience, the book includes some alignment with recommended teacher preparation standards outlined by the Council for Exceptional Children (2016). Although brief, the text is ‘designed to help [teachers] supervise and work with paraeducators’ (p. 1). Additionally, the book includes a copy of the companion paraeducator handbook within the text.

The authors emphasize a teacher’s responsibility to provide paraeducators with ‘training, monitor their progress, manage their schedules, address challenges, and informally evaluate their efforts’ (p. 1). The teacher supervision portion of the book includes three distinct sections. These sections cover: (1) team building with paraeducators, (2) setting expectations, providing feedback, and evaluating paraeducators, (3) and training paraeducators. Although a good introduction to teacher supervision of paraeducators, and well aligned with teacher preparation standards in the U.S., this book should be viewed as an introductory text. Follow up resources (e.g. French 2003, Gerlach 2015, Morgan and Ashbaker 2001) should be used to supplement this text and provide teachers with a full picture of their roles and duties related to paraeducators.

Section one, team building, clearly highlights the importance of creating a positive work environment and creating collaborative relationships. The section includes a recommendation to meet with new paraeducators one on one to get to know them personally and professionally. A list of potential questions to ask during this initial meeting is a nice feature to support this practice (p. 5). The importance of creating collaborative team relationships is highlighted within the literature (Chopra et al. 2011, Douglas et al. 2016, Douglas et al. in press, Morsink et al. 1991, Riggs 2004). This section also emphasizes the need for regular meetings, a practice underscored within the field over the past 20 years (Douglas et al. 2016, French and Pickett 1997, French 2003). However, some important practices that support collaborative teaming with paraeducators are missing. For example, clearly defining team roles is one important educational practice that helps support a positive work environment with paraeducators (Chopra et al. 2011), yet is not discussed.

The second section of the book outlines the importance of setting expectations for, evaluating, and providing feedback to paraeducators. Included is the importance of sharing expectations to paraeducators related to attendance, professionalism, and confidentiality. This is a nice addition to the text given that challenges with attendance, professionalism, and confidentiality have all been emphasized in recent research (Douglas et al. under review). Clearly setting expectations with paraeducators is an important practice. This section of the book also includes content related to feedback and evaluation practices with paraeducators. Although the section brings to light the importance of recognizing the accomplishments of paraeducators (p. 19) and provides some information about the formal evaluation process (e.g. often conducted by an administrator, teacher should provide input in the evaluation process), there is no specific guidance on the mechanisms that might be used when providing feedback or the full process of paraeducator evaluation. Additionally, there is no detail within the book about providing corrective feedback to paraeducators, observing paraeducators and providing feedback, and the relationship between training and feedback. Importantly, recommendations within the literature repeatedly emphasize that teacher supervision of paraeducators should include both observation and feedback about performance (Carnahan et al. 2009, Douglas et al. 2016). Accordingly, readers should consider additional sources for guidance on observation, feedback, and evaluation to supplement this book (e.g. French 2003, Morgan and Ashbaker 2001).

The third section of the book focuses on training paraeducators. Although there is valuable content in this section (i.e. disability awareness/etiquette, prompting, reinforcement procedures, data collection methods) it should not be viewed as a comprehensive training program. Many important topics included within the paraeducator guidelines (i.e. Paraeducator Common Core Guidelines) and existing literature are not present. Additional content will be needed in the areas of child development and learning differences, creating effective learning environments, curricular knowledge, and assessment. Additionally, readers will likely need supplemental sources for incorporating adult learning principles into training for paraeducators, as this topic has been raised within the research and other texts (Bugaj 2002, Douglas et al. in press, Morgan and Ashbaker 2001). The final portion of the book includes a copy of the companion: Paraeducator Handbook. However, the content included in this portion of the text is missing the same essential content in the section of the book highlighting paraeducator training (see Paraeducator Common Core Guidelines).

Paraeducators have been part of the field of special education for over 60 years (Ashbaker and Morgan 2001). They are utilized in countries all over the world (e.g. Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece, United Kingdom; Ashbaker et al. 2001, Chambers 2015) and hold important instructional roles in the education of children with disabilities (Carter et al. 2009). An up-to-date, comprehensive book focused on paraeducator training and supervision is overdue within the field. This text begins to address some important issues that will be helpful to special educators, but training and supervision is a complex responsibility that will require a combined effort from researchers, authors, faculty in teacher training institutions, administrators, and educators. Styer and Fitzgerald have provided a helpful and relatively accessible contribution, but one that will require supplementary resources to more fully address essential topics related to teacher supervision of paraeducators.