Creative Solutions to
the Special Education
Teacher Shortage
Why paraprofessionals
have an advantage
in becoming special
education teachers
32
Leadership
During back to school orien-
tation at an alternative high school in San
Francisco, new and returning educators and
school personnel were asked to reflect on the
question: “Why are you here?” Of a range
of responses, there was one in particular
that stood out. One participant shared that
when she began working as a paraprofes-
sional, she knew the classroom was where
she was meant to be. She recalled a mo-
ment when she asked herself, “If I could be
anything and money weren’t a factor, what
would I be?” Her answer: a special educa-
tion teacher. In the face of a pervasive and
chronic statewide special education teacher
shortage (Sindelar et. al., 2012; Freedberg,
2017), paraprofessionals, with such an affin-
ity for the field, offer a glimmer of hope.
Paraprofessionals provide instructional
aid and support to students with special
needs under the guidance and supervision
of credentialed teachers (California De-
partment of Education, 2018). Supporting
paraprofessionals in pursuit of becoming
special education teachers has gained rec-
ognition as a viable solution for address-
ing several prominent issues facing schools
today. One study that compared different
types of special education teacher prepara-
tion programs found that paraprofessionals
pursuing their special education credential
were more likely to complete their program
when they had the option to continue work-
ing full-or part-time. Once teaching, they
were much more likely to remain in the field
(Sindelar, 2012). Furthermore, facilitating
the progression of paraprofessionals towards
becoming special education teachers con-
tributes to diversifying the special education
teacher workforce. When compared to the
existing body of teachers who are majority
white and monolingual, paraeducators are
more likely to come from the communities
they serve and to more closely represent the
demographics of their students (Garcia &
Cook, 2017; Auletto, 2017). Twenty percent
of paraprofessionals are bilingual and iden-
tify as non-white (Garcia & Cook, 2017).
Consistent with the experience of the spe-
cial education teacher at the alternative high
school in San Francisco, paraprofession-
als who want to become special education
By Dr. Tamarah Tilos