Assistant teachers are an integral component of the preschool classroom, planning and implementing educational activities and supporting individual children and small groups, and often bring linguistic, cultural, and racial/ethnic diversity to the teaching field. However, there is limited research on the impact of assistant teacher qualifications…

Living on fixed incomes and faced with increasing taxes, senior citizens frequently feel the squeeze of a tightening economy more than other populations. Their retirement dollars buy less as their property taxes inch upward, despite the fact that they don't have school-age children. The Hempfield and Manheim Township School Districts in…

The increasing importance of the paraprofessional as part of an education team warrants carefully contructed certification programs. This article (1) recounts the history of paraprofessionals; (2) provides four arguments in favor of certification; (3) describes one existing program; (4) suggests characteristics of effective programs; and (5) warns…

The Minneapolis paraprofessional program was developed with funds from Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. Paraprofessionals are now an integral part of the Minneapolis Public Schools. They have contributed much to the education of students and staff and to good school-community relations. The New Careers and Career Opportunities…

This bulletin presents a case study of the development of a school volunteer program in Dade County, Florida. Part one, entitled "Initiating the School Volunteer Program," discusses the following aspects of the program: (a) determination of needs, (b) preparation of objectives, (c) planning and sequencing activities, (d) identification of…

This document discusses the educational aide program in the state of Ohio. Section I discusses the paid educational aide. The goal of the paid teacher aide program is to improve instruction; the objectives of the program are: (1) teachers will spend more time directly involved in significant high-level teaching and learning functions; (2) teachers…

The SMILES (Senior Motivators in Learning and Educational Services) program was initiated in 1977 by Salt Lake City School Volunteers, Inc., a nonprofit organization working with the Salt Lake City School District, as an addition to an established, successful school volunteer program. The purpose of the SMILES program is to recruit and train older…

Educators from over 35 Washington State school districts and education service districts briefly describe their programs for involving parents in the schools. Compiled for Washington's six regional "Partners in Education" conferences, held in May 1981, the collection also presents Gallup Poll data on school volunteers and 115 ideas for parental…

A successful, flexible, system for coordinating volunteers in the Meigs, Ohio, local school district's elementary schools utilizes a file box containing the names of aides selected to participate in the volunteer program, the times and days they are available, and the services they can provide. A teacher needing a volunteer to perform certain…

This document describes a five-week program designed to assist and train paraprofessionals in the classroom. Goals of the program include the following: That paraprofessionals and community volunteers become more effective and knowledgeable about their students, about teacher relationships, their role, school functioning, and more accepted as…

Emphasis in the 1975-76 Omaha Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I program for disadvantaged youth was on reading activities. The High Intensity Learning Centers for Reading for grades three through twelve continued their operations. Development of Primary High Intensity Centers in reading was continued to provide a supportive reading skill…

The seventh in a series of federally supported modules for training paraprofessional school personnel working with students with disabilities, this module presents information on assisting individuals with disabilities in their transition from school to adult life. Both a facilitator's edition and a student's edition are provided. Chapter 1…