As policy and procedures have evolved over the years within education, the role of teachers and paraprofessionals has also changed. Managing the work of paraprofessionals has become a more common component of effectively run classrooms. Paraeducators who were once responsible for clerical duties to support teachers and administrators by preparing materials, taking attendance, and monitoring… Read more
Staffing Models
The task of determining staffing needs at a school and across a district is challenging because the type and level of support required by each student is determined on an individual basis through the IEP committee, yet these student-by-student decisions are significantly impacted by numerous contextual variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, philosophy of administrators and teachers, school leadership factors, classroom practices that support diverse learners, the degree of collaboration and joint ownership for all learners across the entire faculty, and the ability of the leaders to organize the delivery of services through innovative scheduling and staffing practices.
Recommended Practices to Address Staffing Concerns
September 10, 2019When educators utilize staff effectively and efficiently, magic things happen for students! When we rely on old place and label bound staffing models very little authentic progress is achieved. Review the following staffing concerns expressed by many school leaders. For each category, we have provided a number of recommendations and tips to address this concern… Read more
New Models of Support Tutorial and Quiz
June 13, 2016For decades, the roles of special education personnel changed very little. They were assigned their roles on the basis of the labels of the students they served or the places they provided their services. With the shift to inclusive philosophies and integrated practices, special education personnel recognized that their roles were not static but based… Read more
Increasing the Effectiveness of In-Class Support
September 10, 2015Collaborative teaching is an instructional delivery strategy in which two or more certified teachers share the roles and responsibilities of instruction in the same classroom at the same time. Collaborative teaching partners should consider the following conditions for successful co-teaching: Joint planning Shared ownership and accountability for all students in the class Equitable responsibility for the… Read more
New Models of Support History Lesson
September 9, 2015In order to understand the need for new models of support, let’s look at a brief history lesson related to staffing for special programs in American schools. There have been several positive shifts in education! New Models of Support History Lesson… Read more
High Stakes Testing and Accommodations: Prepare for Success!
August 26, 2015In this age of accountability, statewide student assessments have become a central focus every spring for students, teachers and families. High-stakes testing requires the school community to invest significant amounts of time and attention in this process, and so we want to ensure that students with and without disabilities have the best possible outcomes. For students with… Read more
