Instructional Team Training: Delivering Live, Internet Courses To Teachers and Paraprofessionals in Utah, Idaho and Pennsylvania

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Spring 2004 by Forbush, David E, Morgan, Robert L

Abstract

Shortages of fully qualified special education teachers have been present in rural, suburban and urban America since the formal inception of special education. Public schools have mitigated special education teacher shortages by hiring paraprofessionals. Though hiring of paraprofessionals has been common practice, it is becoming more difficult to recruit and retain paraprofessionals once hired due to factors related to, or exacerbated by, the lack of pre-service training that teachers receive to effectively supervise paraprofessionals. In response to this training need, a project developed, implemented, and evaluated two live internet-based real-time video and audio courses delivered to teachers and paraprofessionals in Rexburg, ID, Turbotville, PA, and Brigham City, UT. Teachers and paraprofessionals were presented with skills needed to build and maintain effective instructional teams. This article describes the need for the courses, format used for delivery, and course evaluation data.

Shortages of fully qualified special education teachers have been present in rural, suburban and urban America since the formal inception of special education (Boe, Cook, Bobbit, & Terhanian, 1998). These shortages have been particularly severe in rural communities, where 100% of special education personnel reportedly "turn over" every three years (Helge & Marrs, 1982; Hicks, 1994). Shortages of teachers in rural communities arise from problems with recruitment and retention endemic to rural areas. Specific recruitment and retention challenges include: social and cultural isolation; poor pay and salary differentials; limited mobility within the system; lack of personal privacy; rigid, lock-step salary schedules and financial practices; higher-paying private sector business and industries; strict teacher certification standards and tests; lack of reciprocal certification from state to state; diversity-related issues; and high rates of teacher turnover (Ludlow, 1998; Miller & Sidebottom, 1985).

In many cases schools have mitigated special education teacher shortages by hiring paraprofessionals. Under the supervision of a certified teacher, well trained paraprofessionals may accomplish some of the tasks that special education teachers would perform if they were available (NCES, 1995 & 2000; OSEPRS, 2000; Recruiting New Teachers, 1997). Over the last 20 years the number of paraprofessionals hired to work in special education settings has increased substantially (French & Pickett, 1997). Unfortunately, there is little evidence to suggest that once hired, paraprofessionals are adequately trained and/or supervised (French 1998: Hilton & Gerlach, 1997; Jones & Bender, 1993: Passaro, Pickett, Latham & HongoBo, 1994).

Though hiring of paraprofessionals has been common practice, it is becoming more difficult to recruit and retain them. Factors associated with this problem include lack of job orientation and jobspecific training, poorly defined job descriptions, low wages, limited opportunities for advancement, insufficient administrative support, and a perceived lack of respect (French & Cabell, 1993; French & Chopra, 1999; Giangreco, Edelman & Broer, 2001; Hadadian & Yssel, 1998; Morehouse & Albright, 1991; Passaro et al., 1994). These problems may be related to, or exacerbated by, the lack of pre-service training that teachers receive preparing them to effectively supervise paraprofessionals. A national survey (Lindemann & Beegle, 1988) indicated that only 28% of preservice special education programs trained teachers to supervise paraprofessionals. More recently, Drecktrah (2000) conducted a statewide survey of Wisconsin teachers and found only 10% indicated receiving instruction in paraprofessional supervision. At a preservice level, teachers have few functional opportunities to practice supervision skills (Vasa, Steckelberg, & Pickett 2003). Skilled supervision and the myriad of other variables affecting recruitment and retention appear to be well within the scope of influence of prescrviee and inservice training programs and school district administrations.

Though well intentioned, passage of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) may further hinder paraprofessional recruitment and negatively affect public schools' retention of paraprofessionals. Beginning January of 2001, the NCLB act required that persons applying for positions in Titie 1 programs be identified as "highly qualified" by meeting one of the following three criteria: (a) possess an associate's degree, (b) complete two years of college training accumulating in a minimum of 48 credit hours, or (c) pass a "rigorous" state or local test. Paraprofessionals hired before 2001 must meet one of the three requirements by January of 2006 to resume employment. At this time, NCLB requirements do not affect special education paraprofessionals unless they work in a "school wide" Title 1 program. However, many believe that language in the reauthorization of IDEA will match the language in the NCLB act in reference to paraprofessionals. If this prediction comes to fruition there will be an immediate reduction in the pool of paraprofessionals available for hire.