"An excellent desk reference for all school administrators regarding the role of paraeducators." Kent Gerlach, Professor School of Education Tacoma, Washington "Nancy French's new book provides wide-ranging information, ideas, and strategies to effectively utilize paraeducator support in today's schools. This guide is a helpful resource for administrators and teachers." Michael Giangreco Center on Disability and Community Inclusion Burlington, Vermont Specific Strategies for Utilizing the Talents of One of Our Most Valuable Resources-Paraeducators! Paraprofessionals--or paraeducators--have long been an invaluable resource in our schools. A well-trained paraeducator not only boosts teacher morale and school-home-community relations, but also increases the amount and quality of instructional time as well as student achievement levels. But where are paraeducators' talents best utilized? Who will train them? And how can we best serve the ever-changing needs of the student population? This comprehensive resource provides teachers and administrators with answers to these important questions and much more, supplying practical tools and strategies for how to best recruit, manage, and use paraeducators in their schools. French gives specific guidelines for working with paraeducators in Special Education, Title 1, Bilingual (ESL), School Library/Media Center, General and Special Education Classrooms, Speech/Language Pathology, and Health Care Services, helping teachers and administrators make the right decisions for their districts and schools. Managing Paraeducators includes: Practical, easy-to-use worksheets that identify the needs and readiness of a school to employ paraeducators, providing a platform for team communication and the development of personalized job descriptions Self-assessment and support checklists that identify potential problems and how to surmount them Guidelines for helping make sure paraeducators are being used in ways that most contribute to student achievement Strategies for identifying best practices, timeframes, and person(s) best suited to training paraprofessionals
Nancy French is the preeminent expert in the field of Paraeducation. She has conducted over 250 workshops throughout the United States, to both local educational agencies and state departments of education.
Preface About the Author 1. Employing Support Personnel in Schools 2. Potential Problems With Paraeducators: Finding Solutions 3. The Shifting Roles of School Professionals 4. Recruiting and Hiring Paraeducators 5. Starting Off on the Right Foot: Providing Orientation 6. Taking Time to Save Time: Delegating to Paraeducators 7. Planning for Paraeducators 8. Paraeducator Training 9. Monitoring and Evaluating Paraeducator Performance 10. Managing the Workplace Afterword: Final Thoughts for School Administrators and Teachers Who Supervise Paraeducators Suggested Reading Index
"An excellent desk reference for all school administrators regarding the role of paraeducators." -- Kent Gerlach, Professor, School of Education "Nancy French's book provides wide-ranging information, ideas, and strategies to effectively utilize paraeducator support in today's schools. This guide is a helpful resource for administrators and teachers." -- Michael Giangreco, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion
