Study finds many Vermont schools over-reliant on paraprofessionals
The Institute's Applied Research and Program Evaluation staff presented the findings from a recent study at the spring conference of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators/Vermont Superintendents’ Association (VCSEA/VSA), held on May 22, 2015. "A Study of the Use of Paraprofessionals to Deliver Special Education Services in Vermont", was co-sponsored by the Vermont Agency of Education and the State of Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office on behalf of the General Assembly.
The study investigated the extent to which and ways in which paraprofessionals are used across the state, factors that influence decisions related to their use, and outcomes associated with patterns of paraprofessional use. The study suggested that certain beliefs, attitudes and practices related to paraprofessional use are currently being called into question, and found that pockets of innovation related to paraprofessional use exist across the state. Implications for continually strengthening the state’s capacity to deliver quality educational services to all its students were discussed.
Presenters included Sue Leibowitz, Greta Shultz, John Tapper and Steven Ellis.
Read article: Study finds many Vermont schools over-reliant on paraprofessionals
April 27, 2015
