Recent research documents the positive impact that paraprofessionals have on student learning. Given these strengths, states and districts across the country have developed programs to attract and prepare paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. Despite increased interest in expanding pathways for the paraeducator workforce, research has…

Many studies have investigated the inadequacy of training and support for special education paraeducators, but few have examined prehire activities or recommended a comprehensive plan to train and hire paraeducators. This quantitative action research study of 267 special education paraeducators and special education teachers was conducted in a…

The kindergarten staff comprises one teacher and two permanent staff members: an aide and a fill-in teacher. The study tracks the tactics that teachers use to motivate staff members to do their jobs effectively, in view of their considerations in choosing these tactics and the way staff members perceive them. The study is based on a multiple case…

The Early Childhood Education program at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) prepares more than 600 students each year to be educators in early childhood (birth-Grade 2) classrooms as teaching assistants or to continue their education in 4-year institutions. In March 2020, as COVID-19 devastated urban neighborhoods, a journey was…

Creative drama has great potential and its implementation in education from pre-school education requires research, as evidenced by the number of scientific studies that have been registered in international research databases over the last ten years. The aim of the research was to examine the use of creative drama methods within kindergartens in…

This phenomenological qualitative study examined the experiences of graduate-level teacher candidates enrolled in teacher residency programs and serving as teacher aides or assistants (TAs). Some participants were graduate-level teacher candidates already employed as TAs in a large urban district and enrolled in an Urban Pipeline Residency…

Paraeducators are among the largest categories of public education employees and are increasingly seen as a pool of potential teachers. However, little is known about paraeducator-to-teacher transitions. Using statewide administrative data, we show that while paraeducators may be more racially/ethnically diverse than the teacher workforce, Black…

This paper considers the evolution of the teaching assistant (TA) role in English primary schools, from the once pejorative description of them as paint pot washers to current conceptualisations of them as pedagogues. How the TA role has evolved and the issues associated with the changes to their deployment in mainstream primary schools will be…

This qualitative study examines obstacles hindering social inclusion into mainstream classes from the perspective of Czech high school students with congenital physical disabilities. Data obtained from in-depth interviews were subjected to a situational analysis, with results indicating that the participants (N=10) perceived as challenging their…

Paraeducators play a marginal yet essential role in fulfilling teaching-related tasks in many international classrooms in China. In order to meet high standards of education, schools often provide professional training to paraeducators. However, in the training process, schools primarily focus on their own needs and rarely consider the personal…

Paraeducators are integral to the special education setting and work under the supervision of certified teachers. They provide support for students with various special needs and support the teacher in providing specialized instruction to meet these needs. This study sought to address the following research questions: (1) what are special…

The success of preschool programs is largely dependent upon a high-quality teaching workforce. Preschool educators are critical in supporting a child's socio-emotional development, motivation, school readiness, achievement, and overall learning. While expected to be professionally prepared similarly to their colleagues from elementary and…

Internationally, teacher assistants (TAs) have emerged as a prominent feature of inclusive educational service delivery and existing research has focused extensively on their roles, training and supervision. In the context of this special issue on TAs, this article describes reasons why relying extensively on TAs as a central feature of inclusive…

Educational robots have been used in many countries as teaching assistants in elementary schools but robotic education quality is not well established in Thailand. The primary objective of this study was to identify and confirm quality dimensions in robotic education from the teachers' perspectives. The sample size was 510 teachers who were…

Teaching assistants and teachers (N = 186) in Cambridgeshire primary schools in the UK were invited to participate in a survey to explore the perceived impact of school-based counselling (SBC) on pupils' cognitive, social, and emotional engagement. Participants were also asked which of these factors they believed were most important to a child's…