Has Access to Paraprofessionals Changed? A Cross-Decade,Cross-Cohort Analysis

Abstract

Due to shifts in society’s attitudes toward special education and changes in U.S. federal policies, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind, more students with disabilities (SWDs) are beginning kindergarten in general education classrooms. As a result, schools and districts across the United States have needed to adjust their personnel resources to accommodate these changes to classroom demographics. This study aims to better understand how paraprofessional resources (i.e., availability and hours) have shifted before and after key federal legislation. We specifically examined the presence and hours worked by general and special education paraprofessionals in general education kindergartens. Using two nationally representative datasets from 1998 and 2010, we found that kindergartners with disabilities in 2010 have greater access to paraprofessionals (both general and special) in general education classrooms compared with children having disabilities from a decade earlier. Implications are discussed.

Keywords

policy accommodations paraprofessionals

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Breton

(2010). Special education paraprofessionals: Percep-tions of preservice preparation, supervision, and ongoing developmental training. International Journal of Special Education, 25(1), 34–45. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ890564.pdf

Brock

M. E.

Carter

E. W.

(2013). A systematic review of paraprofessional-delivered educational practices to improve outcomes for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 38(4), 211–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/154079691303800401

Broer

S. M.

Doyle

M. B.

Giangreco

M. F.

(2005). Perspectives of students with intellectual disabilities about their experiences with paraprofessional support. Exceptional Children, 71(4), 415–430. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/A-Nevin/post/Do-you-know-of-any-research-on-young-childrens-perception-of-caring-behavior-in-adults/attachment/59d62d56c49f478072e9e759/AS%3A273560218603531%401442233247171/download/Broer+Doyle+Giangreco.2005.student_perspectives_on_para_support.pdf

Carter

O’Rourke

Sisco

L. G.

Pelsue

(2009). Knowledge, responsibilities, and training needs of paraprofessionals in elementary and secondary schools. Remedial and Special Education, 30(6), 344–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932508324399

French

N. K.

(2003). Paraeducators in special education programs. Focus on Exceptional Children, 36(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.17161/fec.v36i2.6869

Freschi

D. F.

(1999). Guidelines for working with one-to-one aides. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 31(4), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005999903100408

Gerber

Finn

J. D.

Achilles

C. M.

Boyd-Zaharias

(2001). Teacher aides and students’ academic achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23(2), 123–143. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737023002123

Giangreco

M. F.

(2003). Working with paraprofessionals. Educational Leadership, 61(2), 50–54. https://www.iu17.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/working_with_paraprofessionals_-_Ed._Leadership_october_2003.pdf

Giangreco

M. F.

Broer

S. M.

Edelman

S. W.

(1999). The tip of the iceberg: Determining whether paraprofessional support is needed for students with disabilities in general education settings. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 24(4), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.2511/rpsd.24.4.28

10.

Giangreco

M. F.

Edelman

Broer

Doyle

(2001). Paraprofessional support of students with disabilities: Literature from the past decade. Teaching Exceptional Children, 68, 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290106800103

11.

Giangreco

M. F.

Suter

J. C.

Hurley

S. M.

(2013). Revisiting personnel utilization in inclusion-oriented schools. The Journal of Special Education, 47(2), 121–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466911419015

12.

Gottfried

M. A.

(2017). Does absenteeism differ for children with disabilities in full-day versus part-day kindergarten? Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 22(4), 260–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2017.13881

13.

Gottfried

M. A.

V.-N.

(2016). Full- versus part-day kindergarten for children with disabilities: Effects on academic and social-emotional outcomes. American Educational Research Journal, 53(3), 708–744. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216645903

14.

Hill

(2003). The role of instructional assistants in regular classrooms: Are they influencing inclusive practices? Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 49(1), 98–100. http://cdm.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/54962/42017

15.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.

16.

Liston

A. G.

Nevin

Malian

(2009). What do paraeducators in inclusive classrooms say about their work? Analysis of national survey data and follow-up interviews in California. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 5(5), 1. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ967750

17.

Marks

S. U.

Schrader

Levine

(1999). Paraeducator experiences in inclusive settings: Helping, hovering, or holding their own? Exceptional Children, 65(3), 315–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440299906500303

18.

Massafra

Gershwin

Gosselin

(2020). Policy, preparation, and practice . . . Oh my! Current policy regarding the paraprofessional role and preparation for working with students with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 31(3), 164–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207320920004

19.

Muijs

Reynolds

(2003). The effectiveness of the use of learning support assistants in improving the mathematics achievement of low achieving pupils in primary school. Educational Research, 45(3), 219–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188032000137229

20.

National Council on Disability. (1994). Inclusionary education for students with disabilities: Keeping the promise. https://ncd.gov/publications/1994/Dec1994

21.

New York City Department of Education. (n.d.). Paraprofessionals and substitute paraprofessionals. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/careers/other-jobs-in-schools/paraprofessionals-and-substitute-paraprofessionals

22.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. § 6319.

23.

Royston

(2004). Multiple imputation of missing values. The Stata Journal, 4(3), 227–241.

24.

Spaulding

(2022, April 28). Measures aimed at easing ongoing teacher shortage signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-pritzker-teacher-shortage-bill-signing-20220427-u3gglayegnd3zkj2lk2dx55rde-story.html

25.

U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Title I paraprofessionals: Non-regulatory guidance. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/paraguidance.pdf

26.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Occupational outlook handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/teacher-assistants.htm

27.

Winzer

M. A.

(2000). Special education in the 21st century: Issues of inclusion and reform. Gallaudet University Press.

28.

Winzer

M. A.

(2009). From integration to inclusion: A history of special education in the 20th century. Gallaudet University Press.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.06 MB