Increased employment of para-educators has brought the issue of their training and effective supervision to the forefront. The presenter will highlight the distinction between the professional and para-educator roles and responsibilities as well as the related liability and ethical issues. Additionally, the presenter will share research based para-educator supervision related functions and interactive tools that the licensed professionals in schools can use, under the guidance of the school/district leaders, to direct, support, and monitor the work of the para-educators. The critical role of the school and district leaders’ in providing high quality training to para-educators and supports for collaborative working relationships among licensed professionals-para-educators teams will also be discussed.
