Analyzing the Role of Paraprofessionals

Charles Fox at the Special Education Law Blog applauds the work of paraprofessionals and asks the following question, "...to what extent do schools overuse paraprofessionals as a quick and inexpensive 'fix' instead of providing a certified teacher to teach students?" He then points to Project Evolve (Expanding and Validating Options for Learning through Variations in Education). He also mentions a screening tool available from Project Evolve to evaulate, Is our school overreliant on paraprofessionals or utilizing them inappropriately?