Reducing Ambiguity: Tools to Define and Communicate Paraprofessional Roles and Responsibilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Job Responsibilities ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Social Opportunities ◽  
Special Education Paraprofessionals ◽  
Support Students

One-on-one and program-based special education paraprofessionals are often used to support students with disabilities across school settings. While paraprofessionals may have the best of intentions, their proximity and the support they provide may prevent students with disabilities from fully accessing educational and social opportunities. To prevent unintentional yet negative student outcomes, it is necessary to define and communicate job responsibilities to paraprofessionals before they begin working with students with disabilities. This article outlines several flexible tools and strategies that teachers and administrators can use to efficiently and effectively communicate this information. The article includes (a) a description of how teachers and administrators can define and deliver job-related information to paraprofessionals, (b) reproducible templates for developing a written or digital job responsibilities notebook for paraprofessionals, and (c) recommendations for using these tools effectively.

STRIVE to improve educational outcomes: supporting students with disabilities in the general education classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (16) ◽  
pp. 171-185
Author(s):  
Kristen S. Schrauben ◽  
Jamie Owen-DeSchryver ◽  
Sanja Cale
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
School Settings ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Teachers ◽  
Support Students

Increasingly, students with a variety of disabilities are being included in general education settings; however, many of these students have academic, behavioral, and social challenges that can interfere with their participation and performance. Teachers and school professionals supporting students with disabilities need effective and efficient strategies that can improve student outcomes. This paper describes a set of six domains of research-supported practices that can be implemented to support students. These practices are organized using the acronym STRIVE: Social supports, Teaching practices, Rewards and motivation, Independence, Visual supports, and Engagement. We include examples of how these practices can be used class-wide to support all students, and how they can be adapted to support specific students with disabilities. Practitioner-friendly applications and resources are included to support implementation within school settings.

Supporting Service Dogs in the Classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 313-318
Author(s):  
Julia J. Davidson ◽  
Therese M. Cumming ◽  
Iva Strnadová
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Service Dogs ◽  
Service Dog ◽  
Support Students ◽  
The U.S

With the rising use of service dogs to support students with disabilities, it is important that teachers are knowledgeable about how they can be incorporated into their classroom. A recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court has highlighted the legal responsibility of schools to allow access to the service dogs of students. However, information focusing on the preparation of teachers for this possibility is lacking. This article provides both general and special education teachers with guidelines for including service dogs in their classroom. Background information regarding service dogs is included in addition to practical considerations concerning students, the classroom, the service dog, and planning process.

scholarly journals On the Pulse of Change: The New Beat of Special Education in Higher Education

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Keeffe ◽  
Linda De George-Walker
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Lead Teachers ◽  
School Teaching ◽  
Changing Roles ◽  
Low Incidence

AbstractThe roles and responsibilities of special educators in both special and regular school settings are changing rapidly. More than two decades ago the move towards more inclusive practices disrupted the traditional, niche separatism of special educators to the extent that they are now an integral part of the regular school teaching staff. Today the broad agenda to facilitate access and participation for all students in education, not just students with disabilities, influences the roles and responsibilities of special educators. This article briefly identifies some of the generic pulses that are moving the special education profession from a focus on low incidence disabilities towards a more comprehensive approach to inclusion, school responsiveness and individualised learning pathways. From the foundation of inclusive practice, this article will describe how a qualitative study was used to understand the changing roles and responsibilities of special educators. A case-study analysis of 17 schools formed the basis of the investigation. Principals, lead teachers in special education and special education teachers were asked to identify trends and priorities in special education and also to identify rewards and challenges in their jobs. Further cross-referencing with teacher and special educator standards, a focus group, a stakeholder group and research in the field increased the opportunity for academics and special educators to critically reflect on the emerging demands placed on special educators and the attributes that are needed to be professionally effective.

Collaboration of General and Special Education Teachers: Perspectives and Strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Alexandra Da Fonte ◽  
Sally M. Barton-Arwood
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Teachers Perspectives ◽  
Successful Collaboration

Schools today focus on inclusive models of education for students with disabilities that include higher expectations and increased teacher accountability. Within this inclusion framework, both general and special education teachers have responsibilities for the education of diverse learners. Collaboration skills take time to develop, with many potential barriers that can limit successful teamwork. Therefore, teacher preparation programs have a responsibility for preparing general and special education teachers for collaboration with a focus on strategies to minimize potential barriers and support outcomes for students with disabilities. In order to be more responsive to teacher candidates’ development, a first step is to understand their perspectives about collaboration. This article outlines the hopes and fears of both general and special education preservice candidates regarding collaboration and how their perspectives align with documented views of practicing teachers. Strategies to minimize fears and potential barriers for successful collaboration in school settings are presented.

scholarly journals Understanding Principals’ Knowledge of Special Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney G. Schexnider
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Related Information ◽  
School Year

The percentage of students identified as eligible to receive special education services in the United States has grown from 8.3% in the 1976-77 school year to 14% during the 2018-19 school year (Hussar et al., 2020). Given this level of growth and the myriad of levels of support principals provide for students with disabilities, one would assume that principal preparation programs have adjusted their curriculum to ensure future school administrators are prepared to support every student, including those with disabilities. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how current school administrators learned special education-related information for their role, what they believe are the most important aspects of special education, and to identify how background, experience, and self-efficacy play a role in principals’ skills related to their role as their building’s special education leader. A web-based survey was used to gather information from current school administrators working in Idaho’s P-12 school districts. Results of this study show that the majority of Idaho’s school administrators are learning special education-related knowledge and skills on the job and through professional development, rather than as part of their principal preparation programs. Recommendations are made to enhance the learning opportunities in both principal preparation programs as well as in-service professional development to develop strong, supportive, school-based special education leaders.

Mindset of Paraprofessionals Serving Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin D. Garwood ◽  
Christopher L. Van Loan ◽  
Margaret Gessler Werts
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Behavioral Disorders ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Disorders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Special Education Paraprofessionals

As schools across the United States move toward more inclusive models and as caseloads for special education teachers increase, special education paraprofessionals are being hired to fill service delivery gaps. Most often, paraprofessionals are asked to provide social and behavioral support to students with disabilities, and much of their time is spent in direct support of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Special education teachers have reported that students with emotional and behavioral disorders are some of the hardest to serve, and those working in this field have the highest rate of burnout. Although there has been increased recognition of the importance of mental health and wellbeing for special education teachers, little attention has been paid to paraprofessionals’ needs. Based on recommendations for special education teachers in the extant literature, 12 survival mindsets to be adopted by paraprofessionals are proposed that may prevent burnout by promoting greater resiliency, emotional wellbeing, and self-awareness.

scholarly journals The Role of Performance Feedback and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices for Preservice Special Education Teachers and Student Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Anne Schles ◽  
Rachel E. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Evidence Based Practices

Given the importance of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for improving outcomes for students with disabilities, it is key that preservice special education teachers have the opportunity to implement EBPs with high levels of fidelity during their teacher preparation program. For this reason, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to answer the question: Does providing performance feedback improve preservice special education teachers’ fidelity of implementation of EBPs and outcomes for students with disabilities? Five studies were found which met inclusion criteria. These studies demonstrated a clear functional relationship between performance feedback and preservice teachers’ increased fidelity to the EBP(s). Across studies, there were mixed effects in student outcomes when preservice teachers increased their fidelity to EBPs. Limitations of the current analysis and the included studies are discussed along with future implications for researchers and practitioners.

Collective Learning

2017 ◽  
pp. 237-255
Author(s):  
Lusa Lo
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Intercultural Sensitivity ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Special Education Policy ◽  
Support Students

As the demographics of U.S. student population continue to be diverse, teachers need to be equipped to teach and support students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Besides addressing this issue through the use of coursework and fieldwork experiences, research suggested that providing teacher candidates with international experiences could have an impact on their intercultural sensitivity and openness to cultural diversity. The purpose of this chapter was to share a unique, short-term, faculty-led study abroad program, which was a part of a graduate summer online course. Six special education teacher candidates participated in the program. During the study abroad, they had the opportunity to observe inclusive schools, interview special education policy makers, and learn strategies to support students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms and collaborate with their parents. Cultural activities and free explorations were also included. Upon their return, student participants utilized information and strategies they learned in their practice.

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