Preparing Paraeducators to Become Special Education Teachers in Diverse, Urban Schools
Dr. Jennifer Platt, Co-PI
Professor and Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
College of Education
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816
Dr. Lee Cross, Co-PI
Associate Professor of Special Education
College of Education
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL 32816
Statement of Problem
Despite national efforts and individual state initiatives, the nation still faces teacher shortages due to the number of teachers retiring, reduced numbers of individuals entering teaching (Cortez (2001) and the high rate of teacher turnover (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003; U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004). In addition, the demographics of the teaching force at the national level remains a problem with an increasing discrepancy between the number of students from minority groups and the number of teachers representing these groups (Brennan & Bliss, 1998). By targeting paraeducators, the authors have identified a method for increasing the numbers of individuals selecting and remaining in teaching particularly in exceptional education and at the same time have found a way to increase the ethnic diversity of the teaching force.
PACE (Paraeducators Acquiring Certification in Exceptional education) is a teacher preparation program that prepares paraeducators to be exceptional education teachers while they maintain their paraeducator positions in diverse public schools. Participants receive tuition assistance, competency-based instruction, flexible course delivery, streamlined admissions, ongoing advisement, applied field experiences, curriculum compacting, performance-based assessment, multiple layers of mentoring, coaching, professional development, and a full year of induction.
Description of Project
Paraeducators Acquiring Certification in Exceptional education (PACE) is an initiative to assist exceptional education paraeducators to complete a baccalaureate degree in exceptional education with an ESOL endorsement and teach students with high incidence disabilities in high poverty urban areas in central Florida school districts: Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia County Schools. The project is funded for four years by the Office of Special Education Programs and is designed to prepare at least forty new exceptional student education (ESE) teachers for these four school districts. PACE further supports the transition of paraeducators to certified exceptional education teachers through an induction process.
The primary goal of the PACE program is to help address the chronic shortage of teachers in exceptional education in central Florida by targeting a population (i.e., paraeducators), which has a proven track record of retention in teaching. The PACE program chose to work specifically with the exceptional education paraeducator population because the recruitment of paraeducators has been found to be a highly successful approach to increase the number of individuals who select and remain in teaching (Brownell, Sindelar, Bishop, Langley, & Seo, 2002; Genzuk & French, 2002; Platt & Likins, 2005). Frequently assigned to exceptional education classrooms where they provide support services to students under the direction and supervision of a teacher, paraeducators are a logical group to target because they tend to be rooted in the community, remain in teaching, help to relieve the critical shortage in exceptional education because many have worked in these settings and are interested in continuing, and help to diversify the teaching population (Smith, 2003).
Program Features
PACE has several unique features designed to recruit, prepare and retain paraeducators in a teacher preparation program, and then assist them to secure teaching positions in urban, hard to staff schools in large, diverse school districts in central Florida and remain there as ESE teachers. The program features include:
Curriculum compacting – Elements of the curriculum of two courses are combined in order to meet the needs of the target population (i.e., paraeducators) and to reduce seat time in classes while using a competency-based approach to teaching and learning.
Tiered mentoring – Multiple mentors support PACE participants through a series of stages. Mentors include university faculty, doctoral students, project staff, and school district administrators and teachers.
Induction process – University and school district personnel support the new Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers during their first year of teaching through an induction process that includes discussion boards, email, on-line chat rooms, and internet video streams of effective classroom strategies available on line.
Internship – PACE participants complete an internship with supervision provided by a university faculty member and a site mentor/supervisor at the school.
- PACE participants agree to teach in one of the four school districts for four years after completing their degrees.
- PACE participants are supervised and mentored throughout the internship.
- Internship I may be waived if participants can present evidence of having met the competencies and requirements of Internship I.
- Three school districts pay salary and benefits during the final student teaching experience while paraeducators complete their internship.
Results
PACE is in the third year of a four-year grant. Fourteen paraeducators were admitted in 2005, fifteen in 2006 and eight plan to start the program in 2007. Ten additional applicants are preparing to be admitted. The number of years that participants have been paraeducators ranges from one to twenty years. The Principal Investigators and Project Coordinator collaborated with four school districts to recruit project participants. School districts set up informational meetings within their districts, promoted the PACE program via email and district websites and contacted principals in urban, hard to staff schools. Once they recruited a group of special education paraeducators who were employed in each of the four school districts, the Principal Investigators worked closely with the university’s admissions office to facilitate their admission to the university and the College of Education.
During the first year of the program, several challenges emerged. The readiness levels of the participants to begin a program of study at a university were varied. Some were ready to be admitted to the university and begin coursework, but most lacked essential prerequisites, or needed to take and pass basic skills tests before they could be admitted. Having been out of school for some time, many participants needed assistance with the admission and registration process. The scheduling of classes posed a problem because of the different work schedules of the participants. Finally, the life issues of participants continued to cause problems and delays for participants. The use of the cohort model served to alleviate some of the problems and the constant involvement of the PACE Program Coordinator provided ongoing support and reassurance for the participants. Despite the challenges, this program is succeeding in preparing a new group of culturally diverse, special educators for the local districts they currently serve.
References
Brennan, S., & Bliss, T. (1998). Increasing minority representation in the teaching profession through alternative certification. A case study. The Teacher Educator, 34(1), 1-11.
Brownell, M.T., Sindelar, P.T., Bishop, A.G., Langley, L.K., Seo, S.(2002). Special education teacher supply and teacher quality: The problems, the solutions. Focus on Exceptional Children, 35(2), 1-15
.Cortez, A. (August, 2001). Teacher shortages: Implications for reform and achievement for all students. Intercultural Research Development Association. 38(70), 5-16.
Genzuk, M., & French, N.K. (2002, September). Recruiting paraeducators into teacher preparation programs: A remedy for the shortage of teachers. Paper presented at special study group for American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).
Ingersoll, R.M., Smith, T.M. (2003). The wrong solution to the teacher shortage. Educational Leadership, 60(8).
Platt, J., Likins, M. (2005, February). Recruiting paraeducators into teaching and facilitating the journey through teacher education programs. Paper presented at the 57th AACTE Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Smith , C.L. (2003). Focus on an untapped classroom resource: Helping paraprofessionals become teachers. Southern Regional Education Board. (Available from the Southern Regional Education Board, 592 10th Street, N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318).
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2004). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Washington, D.C.: Author.
