A State of the Art Report on Paraeducators in Education & Related Services. Case #02-96.

Overview & Synopsis

This report provides policymakers and administrators in state departments of education and local education agencies, personnel developers in institutions of higher education, professional organizations representing different disciplines, and unions and other stakeholders with information they can build on to address issues and practices surrounding the deployment, training/education, and supervision of paraeducators. The introduction outlines federal legislation and other factors that have led to a surge in paraeducator employment. The main body of the report provides information on the current state of the art with regard to paraeducators' roles and responsibilities; demographics and deployment; and employment, training and supervision (standards and infrastructures for improving paraeducators' on-the-job performance and career development). The conclusion outlines policy and systemic issues that require the collective attention of state departments of education and local education agencies. Three appendices conclude the report: (1) State Guidelines/Regulatory Procedures for the Employment and Training of Paraeducators; (2) Kansas, Maine, and Georgia Permit Systems and Utah Standards for Paraeducator Roles, Supervision, and Training; and (3) a checklist of paraeducator competencies. (Contains 30 references.) (ND)