A description of a training program for teacher aides at West Junior High School in Nampa, Idaho. (DD)

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,…

Discusses research on the use of paraprofessionals, aides, and assistants in schools. Describes several school-district career-ladder and instructional programs for paraprofessionals. Finds paraprofessionals contribute to student achievement. (PKP)

An increasing number of classroom assistants (also called teaching assistants and sometimes learning support assistants) are employed in schools throughout the UK, but their impact appears variable. This paper presents an evaluation of a local authority project which placed five additional classroom assistants (CAs) in three primary schools in…

A summer outreach program, which was implemented for the first time in the summer of 2004, that provided middle school girls with an opportunity to conduct college-level analytical chemistry experiments under the guidance of female graduate students is explained. The program proved beneficial to participants at each level.

Cathy, Kelly, and Lisa are early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers in inclusive, classroom-based programs. Each of them worked with paraprofessionals, primarily their assistant teachers, during their first year as ECSE teachers, and that experience resulted in difficulties of varying degrees. For Cathy, those difficulties were most…

In this article the author describes a small-scale study into the role of the special needs assistant (SNA) supporting the inclusion of pupils with learning difficulties in the Irish Republic. The findings regarding the perspectives of teachers, principals, SNAs, pupils supported by SNAs and their parents on the support offered to three pupils are…

Assessment is the key to developing an effective program and tracking the progress of each individual student. In turn, the pillar of assessment is collecting accurate, objective data. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of collecting accurate data on student performance in order to be accountable for the instruction and learning…

This paper reports on the application of Q-sort methodology to the development of the Preschool Classroom Practices (PCP) Q-sort. The PCP Q-sort was tested in a sample of 66 preschool teachers and assistants. Results demonstrated the existence of a 2-cluster structure within the Q-sort, comprised of Cognitive Development Activities and…

This report discusses findings from a study that examined issues surrounding the collaborative relationship between Latino paraeducators and the classroom teachers with whom they worked. Specifically, the study examined the types of activities that the paraeducators engaged in, the input they had in classroom instructional activities, the…

Funded through the Ohio Disadvantaged Pupil Program Fund, the Instructional Assistant Program of the Columbus, Ohio public schools provided direct instructional service to selected pupils in the classroom setting. The program was located in 60 buildings, with an equivalent of 147 assistants serving 202 teachers and 2048 pupils in kindergarten and…

The Carl E. Gilbert School (Buena Park, California) was officially "adopted" by Kraft Foods, Incorporated, in November 1982, creating a community partnership between business and education. Fifty-two Kraft employees volunteered to donate their time for 1 hour a week to help teachers of the kindergarten through the sixth grade. They…

Using community resources, Bridgeport, Connecticut develops and implements an environmental education program. Workshops focused on the concepts of ecology, biology, botany, and geology. Trained volunteers, scheduled into schools, offer in class presentations and conduct environmental explorations. In service workshops are provided for teachers to…

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…