Training

The Iowa Department of Education and Kirkwood Community College have graciously allowed us to share this wonderful video that offers a sneak peek into the daily life of a paraeducator.

Dick, who is a special education teacher and parent of two boys with developmental disabilities writes about the need for special education teachers to provide effective feedback:

I have yet to meet a teacher who had spent time systematically training their paras and giving them regular feedback. If the paras are fortunate, they will get an annual evaluation. By then, it is too late to make any real improvements.

You may have heard of Project PARA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a no-cost self-study program paraeducators and a second program for teachers who supervise paraeducators. However, you may not yet have heard about the latest update to the Paraeducator Self Study Program.

As noted on their project history page, the project has been around in one form or another since 1983 and this is only the latest in "a series of efforts to provide options for preservice training for paraeducators in school settings". While it is possible go through both the old and the programs on your own, the training is designed to be done with the support of an instructor provided by your local school or district (Nebraska residents sign up here).