Describes the process and outcomes of placing four disabled adults and one mother of a cerebral palsied child as teaching assistants in preschool, second- and fourth-grade classrooms in two California schools. Suggests that the employment of disabled persons in public education is an effective way of integrating special needs children into regular…

The teachers of the future will be members of a team, with preparation beginning at the teacher aide level, then to part-time employment with teaching teams, then preservice education and inservice continuing education. (MB)

Observations were carried out in 10 regular elementary classrooms in Winnipeg (Manitoba) in which instructional assistants were assigned to students with severe disabilities for at least 2.5 hours per day. Instructional assistants were found to facilitate inclusive practices by interacting with regular and special education students together,…

A survey of 14 special education instructional assistants in rural Oregon showed they were generally mature in age and had lived in eastern Oregon for many years. Over half had some college training. Most were assigned to elementary resource rooms. Respondents rated "instructional methodology" as their strongest training preference. (KS)

Describes a training program for classroom assistants which focused on development of reflective skills. The program used short video recordings of classroom situations followed by group discussion. A framework for evaluating the video situations and discussing them is also offered. (DB)

Responding to disruptive or troubled pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) remains a highly topical issue. The challenges these children present relate to wider issues of continuing political concern: the perceived declining discipline in schools; school and social exclusion; the limits to inclusion for children with special…

The current debate about class size is not centered on whether smaller class sizes are desirable. Rather, the debate is whether the costs involved are the best ways to spend taxpayers' monies. This analysis addresses this question for the state of Florida. Using the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as a measure of educational achievement, a…

Nonprofessional personnel can play an important role in the classroom as teacher aides, especially in a bilingual situation where a particular language background can prove invaluable in developing language skills among the students. The presence of a teacher assistant increases the opportunities for individual instruction. Potential teacher aides…

Guidelines are provided for parents, teachers, and administrators interested in implementing a volunteer program in classrooms or in an entire school system. This guide is divided into seven sections that deal with: (1) benefits derived from participation in a parent involvement program; (2) 10 points to consider in beginning a volunteer program;…

The Pre-Professional Laboratory Experience course is a semester-long early field experience involving prospective teacher education candidates in routine classroom activities and observation experiences on the elementary and secondary level. The set of handbooks which was developed to accompany the course includes a student handbook, a supervising…

The paper provides guidelines for establishing and operating teacher aide programs in special education. Chapter I considers legal aspects of using paraprofessionals with emphasis on the stance of the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission. A second chapter outlines the roles and duties of teachers and aides, offers sample job descriptions for…

Article considered the points of organization that merit particular attention if teachers are to exploit to the full the buildings of open-plan design. (Author/RK)

This teacher-addressed discussion of parent involvement programs at the elementary school level explains why and how parents can aid teachers in classroom processes, and provides guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating a program at the community level. It is suggested that planning for parent involvement requires a preliminary…

The Discovery Room is a mental health oriented primary school intervention for children with learning and behavioral difficulties in the classroom which has been steadily modified over a four-year period through accommodation to real-life needs of an inner city school. In the Discovery Room, a special teacher works with children singly or in pairs…

Advocates the establishment of short preparatory courses for the English language assistants going overseas, especially to France and Germany. (AM)