Introduction

In schools across the country, paraeducators have long been considered valuable members of the instructional team. Working alongside and under the direction of teachers and other certified professionals, these staff members assist and support teachers in many different ways. They provide small group instruction or tutor individual children under teacher direction. They organize parent involvement activities and make visits to students’ homes. Others work in school media centers, work with special education students, or are translators for English language learners. Whatever their role, paraeducators are no longer just making photocopies or designing bulletin boards, but are contributing meaningfully to learner-centered activities.

As more paraeducators are being hired to provide these essential services, policymakers are strengthening requirements and standards for their employment. National, state, and local paraeducator task forces are developing guidelines to aid districts and schools in implementing these requirements. These groups generally agree on the factors that can increase the overall effectiveness of paraeducators (Gerber, Finn, Achilles, & Boyd-Zaharias, 2001; Pickett, 1999; Shellard, 2002).

The purpose of this booklet is to provide an overview of the current issues surrounding paraeducator employment and to synthesize the recommendations of the task force groups. Based on these recommendations, the booklet outlines suggestions for paraeducators, teachers, and principals to increase paraeducator effectiveness. The Northwest Sampler section illustrates how, in different ways, these strategies are put in place at three schools and one district in the Northwest. A list of resources is provided for further reference.