THE NEED FOR PARAEDUCATORS AND POLICY RELATED TO THEIR SUPERVISION: A SEARCH FOR SUPERVISOR COMPETENCIES

Abstract

The use of paraeducators in public schools has multiplied without sufficient research to avoid negative practices, yet a positive trend toward improvement is evident. A search for regulations and policies at the state level has shown response to the federally mandated regulations. The influence of a regulation with a minimal intent (paraeducators working in Title I schools) has inspired many to begin self-regulation with several approaches: requiring paraeducators to be certified, creating standards to measure either skill level prior to employment or growth occurring with service, and offering teachers guidance to improve quality with competent supervision of the paraeducators with whom they are collaboratively teamed. The autonomy of the individual states is expressed by these policies and regulation, but multifaceted problems are best solved with collective solutions. This qualitative research attempted to collect these solutions into a pattern of models for better practice.