Essay On Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals are one of the most heavily utilized support staff in public schools today. Currently, paraprofessionals are more prevalent in special education than the teachers themselves, outnumbering teachers by more than 30,000, totally approximately 401,285 (CITE A). With such a large population of staff members within the school it is crucial to recognize their roles, training, and utilized. Frighteningly, paraprofessionals take on a myriad of roles, and at times, beyond their training. Increasingly, teachers attempt to provide the training necessary to take on certain roles, however, there is not guarantee that the training is to the proper level. Additionally, paraprofessionals can be over utilized as well as under utilized. Teachers and other staff frequently are not aware of the most effective methods to utilize paraprofessionals often leading to a paraprofessional to being over or
As literature concerning mental health and academic disabilities grow, so too are the needs for specialized delivery of services in special education. Hughes and Valle-Riestra provide an interesting critique of the implications of IDEA 2004. The renewal of IDEA broadened the delivery of special education services, specifically that paraprofessionals, when properly trained, could deliver services to students (CITE J). As the landscape of special education begins to shift to school staff other than special education teachers delivering required services, special attention must be paid to the training of such staff. A variety of schools in multiple levels have seen some success in the training of paraprofessionals to deliver services to students. This is completed in a range of ways, two of the most popular are the use of special education teachers providing the training to the paraprofessional or having the paraprofessional attend workshops that can help them acquire the necessary skill