Studied whether the presence of a teacher aide in the classroom has noticeable impact on student learning using data for more than 6,300 students in 79 Tennessee schools. Findings suggest that teachers' aides have little, if any, positive effects on student learning. Results also indicate that many aides are required to perform tasks for which…

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…

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…