Paraprofessionals

Explainer

What Does a Paraprofessional Do?
Who Are Paraprofessionals and What Do They Do?
Paraprofessionals are a vital part of the classroom team with a wide range of responsibilities and skills.
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Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Alonzo obtained her bachelor's degree through a partnership with Reach University and the Russellville city schools district.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
Teaching Profession Bilingual Teachers Are in Short Supply. How 3 Districts Solved That Problem
Helping bilingual paraprofessionals obtain bachelor's degrees and teaching credentials leads to more bilingual teachers, districts found.
Ileana Najarro & Madeline Will, February 23, 2024
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9 min read
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Los estudiantes toman el autobús a casa desde la escuela secundaria Russellville en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Project Este Distrito Está Teniendo Éxito con Estudiantes de Inglés. ¿Puede Mantener su Impulso?
Logros del sistema escolar de Alabama se ven amenazados por financiación limitada, necesidades no atendidas y política estatal moribunda.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
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14 min read
Second grade students in Dalia Gerardo's class at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
El salón de clases de segundo grado de Dalia Gerardo en West Elementary en Russellville, Alabama, se muestra aquí en diciembre de 2022. El salón de clases presenta etiquetas y decoraciones de pared en inglés y español.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Project Un Pueblo de Alabama Ahora Ve en los Estudiantes de Inglés Su Futuro
¿Qué ocurrió cuando un distrito escolar cambió su cultura e invirtió en ayudas para los jóvenes estudiantes de inglés?
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
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15 min read
The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides. Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is one of the bilingual aides.
Para satisfacer las necesidades de una creciente población de estudiantes de inglés, las escuelas de la ciudad de Russellville han contratado a 10 nuevos asistentes bilingües, incluida Elizabeth Alonzo, fotografiada aquí antes de una clase en West Elementary el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners In Their Own Words Una Auxiliar Bilingüe Explica el Valor de la Representación de los Estudiantes de Inglés
Elizabeth Alonzo proporciona ahora el apoyo que no recibió en la escuela: alguien que habla y valora su primera lengua.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
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4 min read
Second grade students in Dalia Gerardo's class at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Dalia Gerardo's 2nd grade classroom at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., is pictured here in December 2022. The classroom features both English and Spanish labels and wall decorations.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Project Once Resistant, An Alabama Town Now Sees Its English Learners as Its Future
What happened when a school district changed its culture and invested in young English learner supports?
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
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12 min read
The Russellville City School District has worked to meet the needs of an influx of Hispanic students over the last few years through a number of methods, including hiring nearly a dozen new bilingual aides. Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022, is one of the bilingual aides.
To meet the needs of a growing English learner population, Russellville City Schools has hired 10 new bilingual aides, including Elizabeth Alonzo, pictured here before a class at West Elementary on Dec. 9, 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners In Their Own Words A Bilingual Aide Explains the Value of Representation for English Learners
Elizabeth Alonzo now provides the support she didn't get in school: Someone who speaks and values her first language.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
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3 min read
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners Project After Early Success With English Learners, Can a District Keep Its Momentum?
The Alabama school system's gains are threatened by time-limited funding, unaddressed needs at the secondary level, and moribund state policy.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
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11 min read
Image of a framed smiley face.
zakokor/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Principals Give Thanks—and Shoutouts—to School Support Staff
Custodians, lunchroom aides, secretaries, and bus drivers are “too often forgotten and underappreciated.”
Denisa R. Superville, November 22, 2022
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7 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Letter to the Editor Schools Are Choosing Money Over Experience. Educators Are Fed Up
A special education instructional aide shares her frustration with the lack of appreciation for and low pay of her position.
November 22, 2022
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1 min read
Thu., October 27, 2022, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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Laura Baker/Education Week and Dmitry Kovalchuk/iStock/Getty
Staffing Our Schools Special Report Why Staffing Schools Is Harder Than Ever
Why schools are struggling to recruit and retain staff and how it affects student learning.
June 15, 2022
Angela Alfaro, a paraprofessional at Pascual LeDoux Academy, works on counting with a student on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at Pascual LeDoux Academy in Denver.
Angela Alfaro, a paraprofessional, works on counting with a student at Pascual LeDoux Academy in Denver.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention From Our Research Center Paraprofessionals: As the 'Backbones' of the Classroom, They Get Low Pay, Little Support
They are critical to student learning and well-being, but often find better pay and benefits in other fields.
Madeline Will, June 15, 2022
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10 min read
Education Districts Lay Off Thousands of Paraprofessionals as Students Switch to Remote Learning
With looming budget cuts and no clear need for teacher aides, administrators are gutting their paraprofessional staff, a move that could have long-term academic consequences.
Daarel Burnette II, August 25, 2020
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3 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Teachers & Aides Need to Work as a Team'
Three educators share advice on working with instructional aides/paraprofessionals, including having a "team" mindset and demonstrating empathy.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 7, 2020
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9 min read
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