Employing, Developing, and Directing Special Education Paraprofessionals
in Inclusive Education Programs: Findings from a Multi-Site Case Study Go back to Section 6: Conclusion
Appendix
Special Educator Interview Protocol
1) About you
Why did you choose special education? How did you come to be a special education
teacher here at ______? How long have you been in this position _______? In
the district?
What do you enjoy most or what is the most rewarding in your role as a special
educator?
2) About your school and program
Tell me about your school (e.g., grades, number of students, classrooms
per grade). How is the school organized (e.g., grade levels, multi-age classrooms,
houses)?
Tell me about special education in your school. How many students are served
and what are their disabilities? How is the program organized? How many special
education staff are there (e.g. teachers, paraprofessionals)?
How did inclusive special education start in your school?
Which students are included (e.g., number of students, types of students,
grades)? Which special education teachers and paraprofessionals support the
inclusive program?
What percent of day are most students included in general education?
When students are not in general education settings, what are they doing?
How much variation is there among the students that you support?
Think of a typical student that you support in inclusive education. What
does his or her typical day look like?
3) About your role supporting students in inclusive education programs
How would you describe your role as special educator? What are all of your
responsibilities in managing the inclusive education program?
On average, what does your weekly and daily schedule look like?
We know that successful inclusive education programs require a team effort.
Who are all the different adults and service providers you work with (e.g.,
classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, other specialists)?
How do you communicate and plan with these team members? What do you meet
about?
Do you collaborate with other special educators or programs in your building
(e.g., share staff, cross-serve students, co-teach)?
What do you feel makes a successful team? When a team is successful, what
is happening?
As you think about all you do to make your program work, what is the ultimate
goal that motivates you?
If you were mentoring new special education teachers about how to be an
effective special education teacher, what would you tell them that helps you
to be effective?
4) About your work directing paraprofessionals
In (district name), what are the qualifications for being hired as a special
education paraprofessional? Is it difficult to find people who are qualified
to do the job?
How are paraprofessionals recruited? What backgrounds do the paraprofessionals
bring to the job? Does their experience typically match the duties of the
job?
Suppose I applied for a position as a paraprofessional in your inclusive
education program. What would my application and interview process look like?
Who is involved in this process at each level of the district? Does this look
different if I was hired at the beginning of the school year versus after
the school year has started?
If I were then hired, what would my orientation and induction process look
like? Who would be involved in this process? Would this look different if
I was hired at the beginning of the school year versus after the school year
has started?
How would my work be evaluated? How often?
Thinking specifically about what you do to support paraprofessionals, what
does this look like (e.g., school year routines, regular meetings, communication
strategies)?
Have most of the paraprofessionals in your program been here for while or
do you have turnover in the positions? Approximately how many paraprofessionals
leave each year? For those who stay, why do you think they stay? For those
who leave, why do you think they leave?
What effect does paraprofessional turnover have on the students’ programs?
On your schedule and responsibilities?
Are the paraprofessionals unionized? If so, how does the contract affect
hiring, hours, work scope, staff development, evaluation, etc.?
What types of staff development are offered for paraprofessionals (e.g.
centralized, job-embedded, frequency)? What is the content of the staff development?
How do you distinguish between the role of the special education teacher
and the role of the paraprofessional?
What are the duties of the paraprofessional in inclusive education programs?
When you see a highly effective paraprofessional, what is that person doing?
What types of supports are there to develop paraprofessional effectiveness
(e.g., coaching, staff development, communication systems)?
How do you decide that a student needs paraprofessional support?
How does a request for paraprofessional support work its way through the
system?
How do you help paraprofessionals understand that they should not provide
too much student assistance?
What outcomes do you see for the students when the paraprofessional is highly
effective? When the paraprofessional is not effective?
If you could create an ideal system for working with paraprofessionals,
what would you include?
What kind of staff development for teachers would be helpful to support
them in their role of directing the work of paraprofessionals?
5) About the program supports for inclusive education
Who do you see leading the inclusion work at your school? In the district?
When thinking about the district level, who provides support for the inclusive
education programs? What types of support does each person provide? How do
you access this person?
At the building level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help you implement your inclusive education program? What types
of barriers do you encounter at the building level?
At the district level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help you implement your inclusive education program? What types
of barriers do you encounter at the district level?
6) Closing
What do you see as outcomes for the students being served in your inclusive
education program?
What do you see as outcomes for others who are involved with your program
(e.g., students without disabilities, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents,
administrators)?
As you think about all that you do, what keeps you going?
Where will the opportunities for inclusion be in the future?
What do you find to be the most challenging or frustrating? What are the
threats to inclusive education in the future?
Is there anything else that you think I should know to more fully understand
your inclusion program and how to utilize people and resources to support
it?
I have learned a lot from our time together, as I go through my notes and
the tapes or if another question arises, would it be all right to call you?
Thank you.
Principal Interview Protocol
1) About you
Why did you choose to work in education? How did you come to be principal
here at ______? How long have you been in this position _______? In the district?
What do you enjoy most or is most rewarding in your role as a principal?
2) About your school and program
Tell me about your school (e.g., grades, number of students, classrooms
per grade). How is the school organized (e.g., grade levels, multi-age, houses,
etc.)?
Tell me about special education in your school. How many special education
students do you have? How many special education staff are there (e.g., teachers,
paraprofessionals)? How is special education organized in the building?
How did inclusive special education get started in your school?
Which students are included (e.g., number of students, types of students,
grades)? Which special education teachers and paraprofessionals support the
inclusive program?
What percent of day are most students included in general education?
When they are not in general education, what are they doing?
3) About your role supporting students in inclusive education programs
What do you see as your role and responsibilities in supporting the inclusive
education program and its staff?
We know that successful inclusive education programs require a team effort.
What do you feel makes a successful team? When a team is successful, what
is happening?
How would you describe the role of the special education teacher in inclusive
programs?
If you were to mentor a new special education teacher on how to be an effective
teacher, what would you tell her or him? What would they need to do to be
effective in an inclusive program (e.g., direct instruction, connections,
planning, paperwork)?
What is the relationship of the inclusion program with other special education
programs in your school (e.g., share staff, cross serve students, co-teach)?
With other specialized education programs in the school (e.g., Title 1, ESL)?
4) About supervising paraprofessionals
In (district name), what are the qualifications for being hired as a special
education paraprofessional? Is it difficult to find people who are qualified
to do the job?
How are paraprofessionals recruited (e.g. types of advertising, word-of-mouth)?
What backgrounds do the paraprofessionals bring to the job? Does their experience
typically match the duties of the job?
Suppose I applied for a position as a paraprofessional in your inclusive
education program. What would my application and interview process look like?
Who is involved in this process at each level of the district? Does this look
different if I was hired at the beginning of the school year versus after
the school year has started?
If I were then hired, what would my orientation and induction process look
like (e.g., learning about students, building policies)? Who is involved in
this process at each level of the district? Would this look different if I
was hired at the beginning of the school year versus after the school year
has started?
How would my work be evaluated? How often would I be evaluated?
Have most of the special education paraprofessionals been here for while
or do you have turnover in these positions? Approximately how many paraprofessionals
leave each year? For those paraprofessionals who stay, why do they stay? For
those who leave, why do they leave?
What effect does paraprofessional turnover have on the students’
programs? On the teachers’ schedule and responsibilities?
Are the paraprofessionals unionized? If so, how does the contract affect
hours, work scope, staff development, and paraprofessional evaluation?
What types of staff development is offered for paraprofessionals (e.g.,
centralized, job-embedded, frequency, content)?
How do you distinguish between the role of the special education teacher
and the role of the paraprofessional?
What are the duties of the paraprofessional in inclusive education programs?
When you see a highly effective paraprofessional, what is this person doing?
What types of supports are there to develop paraprofessional effectiveness
(e.g., coaching, staff development, communication systems)?
What outcomes do you see for the students when the paraprofessional is
highly effective? When the paraprofessional is not effective?
How is it decided that a student needs assistance from a paraprofessional?
How does a request for a paraprofessional work its way through the system?
If you could create an ideal system for working with paraprofessionals,
what would you include?
What kind of staff development would be helpful for teachers to support
their role of directing the work of paraprofessionals?
5) About the program supports for inclusive education
Who do you see leading the inclusive education work at your building? In
the district?
When thinking about the levels of the district, who at each level provides
support for the inclusive education program (e.g., special education director,
coordinators, teachers)? What types of support does each person provide?
At the building level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help you implement the inclusive education program (e.g., people,
time, money, training, scheduling flexibility)?
At the district level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help you implement the inclusive education program?
6) Closing
What do you see as outcomes for the students being served in your inclusive
education program?
What do you see as outcomes for others involved with your program (e.g.,
students without disabilities, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, administrators)?
As you think about all you do to support the education of students with
disabilities, what is your ultimate goal that keeps you going?
Where will the opportunities for inclusion be in the future?
What do you find to be the most challenging or the most frustrating?
What are the threats to inclusive education in the future?
Is there anything else that you think I should know to more fully understand
the inclusion program at (school name) and how your building utilizes people
and resources to support it?
I have learned a lot from our time together. As I go through my notes and
the tapes or if another question arises, would it be all right to call you?
Thank you.
Special Education Director and District-Level Special Education Coordinator
Interview Protocol
1) About you
Why did you choose to work in education? How did you come to be special
education here at ______? How long have you been in this position _______?
In the district?
What do you enjoy most or is the most rewarding in your role as a special
education _______?
2) About your district and the inclusive education program
Tell me about your district (e.g., number of buildings, number of students).
How is the district organized?
Tell me about special education in your district. How many special education
staff do you have (e.g., teachers, paraprofessionals)? How many special education
students? How is your special education program organized (e.g., by disability
area, by school, by level)?
How did inclusive special education get started in your district? When
did inclusive education begin?
As you look across your district, which students are included? How many
students are in inclusive education programs?
What percent of day are most students included in general education?
When they are not in general education, what are they doing?
3) About your role supporting students in inclusive education programs
What do you see as your role and responsibilities in supporting the inclusive
education program and its staff?
We know that successful inclusive education programs requires a team effort.
What do you feel makes a successful team? When a team is successful, what
is happening?
How would you describe the role of the special education teacher in inclusive
programs?
If you were to mentor a new special education teacher in how to be an effective
special education teacher, what would you tell her or him to be effective
in this role (e.g., direct instruction, connections, planning, paperwork)?
What is the relationship of the inclusive education program with other special
education programs in your district (e.g., share staff, cross serve students,
co-teaching)? With other specialized education programs in the district (e.g.,
Title 1, ESL)?
4) About supervising paraprofessionals
In (district name), what are the qualifications for being hired as a special
education paraprofessional? Is it difficult to find people who are qualified
to do the job?
How are paraprofessionals recruited? What backgrounds do the paraprofessionals
bring to the job? Does their experience typically match with the duties of
the job?
Suppose I applied for a position as a paraprofessional in your inclusive
education program. What would my application and interview process look like?
Who is involved in this process? Does this process look different if I was
hired at the beginning of the school year versus after the school year has
started?
If I were then hired, what would my orientation and induction process look
like? Who is involved in this process at the district level? At the building
level? Does this look different if I was hired at the beginning of the school
year versus after the school year has started?
How would my work be evaluated? How often?
Have most of your paraprofessionals been here for while or do you have a
lot of paraprofessional turnover? Approximately how many paraprofessionals
leave each year? For those who stay, why do you think they stay? For those
who leave, why do you think they leave?
What effect does paraprofessional turnover have on the students’ programs?
On your teachers’ schedule and responsibilities?
Are the paraprofessionals unionized? If so, how does the contract affect
hours, work scope, staff development, and evaluation?
What types of staff development is offered for paraprofessionals (e.g.,
centralized, job-embedded, frequency)? What is the content of the staff development?
How do you distinguish the role of the special education teacher and the
role of the paraprofessional?
What are the duties of the paraprofessional in inclusive education programs?
When you see a highly effective paraprofessional, what is that person doing?
What types of supports are there to develop paraprofessional effectiveness
(e.g., coaching, staff development, communication systems)?
What outcomes do you see for the students when the paraprofessional is
highly effective? When the paraprofessional is not effective?
How is it decided that a student needs assistance from a paraprofessional?
How does a request for paraprofessional support work its way through the
system?
If you could create an ideal system for working with paraprofessionals,
what would you include?
What kind of staff development would be helpful for teachers to support
their role of directing the work of paraprofessionals?
5) About the program supports for inclusive education
Who do you see leading the work for inclusive education in the buildings?
In the district? What types of support do each of these people provide (e.g.,
people, time, money, training, scheduling flexibility)?
At the building level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help staff implement their inclusive education program?
At the district level, what additional supports or changes to the current
system would help staff implement their inclusive education program?
6) Closing
What do you see as outcomes for the students being served in the inclusive
education
programs?
What do you see as outcomes for others involved with your program (e.g.,
students without disabilities, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, administrators)?
As you think about all you do to support the education of students with
disabilities, what is the ultimate goal that keeps you going?
Where will the opportunities for inclusion be in the future?
What do you find to be the most challenging or frustrating? What are the
threats to inclusive education in the future?
Is there anything else that you think I should know to more fully understand
the inclusion
program at (district) and how people and resources are used to support inclusive
education?
I have learned a lot from our time together. As I go through my notes and
the tapes or if
another question arises, would it be all right to call you? Thank you.
Special Education Paraprofessional Structured Group Interview Protocol
Please tell me your name, how long you have been working as a paraprofessional
in an inclusion program for students with disabilities, and briefly share
what you enjoy most about your position.
Could you describe your current job? What are your duties?
Think back to when you started working in your current position. How did
you hear about the job? What did the hiring and interview process look like?
What did your orientation and training look like at the district level?
At the building level?
Within the last year, what kinds of training have you received to help
you do your job? Who provided this training?
Are the paraprofessionals in ______ unionized? If so, how does your contract
affect your hours, work scope, staff development, and evaluation?
Think about a time when you experienced exceptionally good training for
working with a student. What happened that makes you describe this experience
as exceptional?
Think back to an experience where you feel that you received inadequate
training. What happened that makes you describe the experience as inadequate?
Inclusion requires a team effort. What do you feel makes a successful team?
What do you see and hear?
Thinking about your current job, tell me about who directs your work. How
do you coordinate with the special education teacher? The classroom teacher?
How do you learn about the general education routines?
When you think about a student with a disability learning well in a general
education classroom, what does it look like? What is the student doing?
If I was a paraprofessional in your program and a new student was starting
tomorrow who I needed to support, what would happen to prepare me to know
what to do?
When you feel you are effectively supporting the student in a general education
classroom, what does that look like?
When you hear that a paraprofessional has left your school or district,
what are the reasons that you hear about why she or he left? How do you feel
paraprofessional turnover affects the students? The whole inclusive education
program?
Is there anything else you would like to add to about how your work, the
employment process, or the support you need to do your job?