Abstract
The education of migrant children has become an issue of national significance. One aspect of a complex service delivery system that might be used to provide an appropriate education for these students is the employment of paraprofessionals. The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of paraprofessionals in providing educational programs for migrant children. Such traditional roles as child find, assessment, instruction, instructional support, behavior management, record keeping, and extra-curricular activities are delineated. In addition, nontraditional roles such as paracounseling, social work, parent interaction, career education, and transportation are also included. The paper concludes by (a) summarizing some cautions that should be observed when using paraprofessionals; (b) discussing implications for personnel preparation; and (c) relating an innovative idea for improving the utility of paraprofessionals who serve in migrant programs.
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