Students with Disabilities and Paraprofessional Supports: Benefits, Balance, and Band-Aids.

Abstract

If you have had any connection to special education during the past decade, you already know what a valuable asset paraprofessionals can be to support the education of students with, and without, disabilities. You do not need this article to tell you what the literature has been reporting for years-that too many paraprofessionals have been, and continue to be, inadequately appreciated, compensated, oriented, trained, and supervised (Doyle, 2002; Giangreco, Edelman, Broer & Doyle, 20Ql; Jones & Bender, 1993; Pickett & Gerlach, 1997). You are already aware that a variety of approaches and materials are available to train paraprofessionals (CichoskiKelly, Backus, Giangreco, & Sherman-Tucker, 2000; Institute on Community Integration, 1999; Parsons & Reid, 1999; Salzberg, Morgan, Gassman, Pickett & Merrill, 1993; Steckelberg & Vasa, 1998). You probably already know that the numbers of paraprofessionals have increased dramatically in the last decade (French & Pickett, 1997).