Oakwood Elementary School

Location
Oakwood Elementary School (Grades 3–5
252 South 4th E.
Preston, ID 82363

Contact
Reid Carlson, Principal
Phone: 208-852-2233
E-mail: reid@preston.k12.id.us

Paraeducators Provide Group Instructional Services and Much More at Oakwood

Oakwood Elementary School is located in Preston, Idaho, a small, rural community near the Utah border. Although it serves a rural population, Oakwood is the only school in the Preston School District that serves grades 3–5, resulting in an enrollment consistently more than 500. The district also includes one high school, a small alternative high school, one junior high, and one K–2 school, Pioneer Elementary, which is located directly next to Oakwood. Because of the consolidated nature of the district, it makes sense for most policies and programs to be districtwide, with many shared characteristics from school to school. Although our focus here is on Oakwood, we also spoke with paraeducators from Pioneer Elementary, and with Dr. Jerry Waddoups, the Curriculum Director for the district. It’s clear that the two elementary schools, as well as the entire district, share a common set of goals, a common language, and a unified approach that mirrors the close-knit quality of their community.

At Oakwood, paraeducators are an essential part of the instructional team. Every classroom has a paraeducator for at least part of the day, working primarily one-to-one or in small groups, with a focus on reading, writing, and basic math skills. Paraeducators are also used extensively in special education, in the library, and to staff the resource room. They have been invaluable in the implementation of the school’s multifaceted approach to reading instruction, which involves guided reading, Reading Renaissance programs including frequent, individualized STAR Reading assessments, as well as SRA/McGraw-Hill programs.

Paraeducators are viewed as an essential part of the school’s professional staff. They are included in many professional development opportunities, including an annual Paraeducator Training Conference in Utah, and a recent two-day training program in a corrective reading program. One day a month is given to preparation, which often involves inservice training on issues such as behavioral management, or specific curriculum programs. Early-out Fridays provide teachers and paraeducators with ample planning time.

The hiring process at Oakwood reflects their view of paraeducators as qualified professionals. "We use about the same process to hire paraeducators as we do teachers,c says Dr. Waddoups. "That includes two different interviews, and involves the principal, the superintendent, and a teacher. We’re very proud of the quality of our paraeducators."

While paraeducators have always had an important place at Oakwood, many of them credit the district’s former special education director, Dave Forbush, with increasing the focus on professionalism. "He was our advocate," says Sharon Durant, who has been a paraeducator at Oakwood for 20 years. "He increased our training and professional development the last couple of years, which really helped. And he gave us more of a voice within the district." Several other paraeducators we spoke with also mentioned Forbush’s tenure at the school as a turning point. Forbush was able to not only increase professional standards for paraeducators, but also to increase the district’s attention to their rights and professional development opportunities. The awareness of the important role paraeducators play is now even more firmly entrenched at both the school and district levels.

One unique factor at Oakwood is its proximity to Utah State University, just across the state line in Logan, Utah. "Eighty percent of our teachers are Utah State graduates," says principal Reid Carlson. "They do an outstanding job training teachers, especially special education teachers." The close ties to Utah State have resulted in several professional development opportunities, including a class on improving the working relationship between teachers and paraeducators. "That really helped focus our observations on each other," says Sherrie Moser, another long-term paraeducator, "It really did help the relationships."

While Utah State provides the district with many well-trained beginning teachers, it also results in a slightly higher turnover rate. "A lot of the people we hire are first-time teachers, right out of Utah State," says Waddoups. "Many of them are starting their professional careers, starting families—there are a lot of factors involved." The result, he points out, is that "a lot of our paraeducators outlast our teachers."

The eight paraeducators we spoke with ranged in experience from first-year to more than 20 years, but the majority had been at the school for more than 10 years. This contrast between first-time teachers and long-term paraeducators could be the source for some interesting challenges, but it has rarely been a problem at Oakwood. "We know our role," says paraeducator Valyn Andersen. "You learn not to be pushy in those first few months," she adds. "You have to be very sensitive to individual teaching styles and let them make their own discoveries. Usually, they’ll start to appreciate your experience right away, and draw on it, without feeling threatened." The roles are clear and the focus is on teamwork, agree the others with whom we spoke. Paraeducators are always working under the direction of certified teachers, but they are treated as equal members of the instructional team, with valuable experience and insights that are fully appreciated.

Another key to their success is peer mentoring. Long-term paraeducators often serve as mentors to both their fellow paraeducators and to inexperienced teachers who seek their advice. It is a smooth-running system that relies in equal parts on the wisdom and experience of long-term staff and on the clear, but flexible, policies developed by the district. There is an appreciation for the varying levels of paraeducator experience at Oakwood, which allows for a less rigid, more fluid delineation of roles not always possible at other schools. The impression one gets from a visit to Oakwood is of a highly professional, but family-type atmosphere, where every staff member is appreciated and all are focused on providing the best education possible to each student.