Background: Over recent decades, teacher aides (TAs) have had an increasing presence in mainstream classrooms internationally, providing vital support to students and teachers on a daily basis. Although the evolution of the role has given rise to many implicit and explicit shifts in TAs' responsibilities, opportunities for TAs to develop and shape…

Restructuring efforts in Australia are changing the nature of principals' and teachers' work. Describes current Department of Education policies intended to change schools in Queensland and links these policies to microrestructuring reforms, focusing on strategies to change school staffing configurations, redesign teacher aide responsibilities,…

Background: The outcomes of a pilot program of staff development in communication support in the context of observed changes in student behaviour states and interactive abilities are reported. Participant reports about the impact of the program on their professional practices are included. Method: Six teachers and six teacher aides in special…

A study was conducted at the Lady Gowrie Child Centre in Adelaide, Australia, to examine the role and function of parent assistants and to investigate the effects of the 1979 parent/teacher cooperative for children under 3 years of age on the parents, the teacher, and the children. Preliminary data were gathered by questionnaires sent to parents…

This report is an evaluation of a pilot form of preschool education in Queensland, Australia. Following background information (Chapter I) about the sampling methodology used in and the administration of the study, the classroom environment and the teachers' work program are described in Chapter II. The effect of the early education classroom…

Reforms to Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector over the past few years have brought about significant changes to the work of VET staff and the focus of their roles. This publication summarizes recent research into the changing roles of VET leaders, managers, teaching and support staff, and the way they work. The role of…

This study evaluated a professional development program for 179 Australian teachers, teacher aides, and speech pathologists working with students having severe disabilities. Emphasis was on their role as communication partners in the implementation of strategies to enhance students' communicative behavior. Teachers and teacher aides reported…