Differentiated staffing is a fundamental change, not a peripheral one, in school personnel practices, contends the writer, who feels it gives true meaning to the phrase "career ladder." He adds that it deserves both careful attention and study by educators.

The problems faced by many small city school districts are often overshadowed by concerns for big city and rural school districts. We focus on some of the challenges faced by three small city schoo...

background

Differentiated Staffing: "Different Strokes for Different Folks"

Small City School Districts’ Capacity for Improvement and the Struggle for Educational Equity:

.................................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 1 ...............................................................................................................................16 Introduction....................................................................................................................16 Statement of the Problem...........................................................................................................19 Purpose o f the Study................................................................................................................. 19 Research Questions................................................................................................................... 20 Theoretical Perspective..............................................................................................................20 Assumptions................................................................................................................................22 Limitations..................................................................................................................................22 Delimitations.............................................................................................................................. 22 Operational Definitions..............................................................................................................23 Significance o f Study.................................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 2 .............................................................................................................................. 25 Review of Related Literature....................................................................................... 25 Evolution of the Paraprofessional's Role.................................................................... 25 The History of Paraprofessionals............................................................................................. 25 The Advent of Differentiated Staffing.................................................................................... 30 Usage of Paraprofessionals....................................................................................................... 31 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 Paraprofessional's Impact on Students....................................................................................34 Legal Implications..................................................................................................................... 34 Why Paraprofessional Roles were Created............................................................................. 36 The Role o f the Paraprofessional in Education...................................................................... 37 Moral and Ethical Issues for Paraprofessionals...................................................................... 38 Defining the Paraprofessional R ole......................................................................................... 40 The Role of the Classroom Teacher........................................................................................42 Training of Paraprofessionals......................................................................................44 Training Issues.......................................................................................................................... 45 Lack of Training........................................................................................................................ 46 Training Topics......................................................................................................................... 47 Training M ethods......................................................................................................................48 Career Development..................................................................................................................48 Training Needs.......................................................................................................................... 51 Research on Paraprofessionals' Training and Needs................................................. 53 Vasa, Steckelberg and Ronning (1982).................................................................................. 54 French and Cabell (1993)..........................................................................................................56 Passaro, Pickett, Latham and HongBo (1994)....................................................................... 57 Summary....................................................................................................................... 59 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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The current training practices and perceived training needs of paraprofessionals in special education programs in Nebraska

Impetus to massive educational innovating during the last score of years has resulted mainly from infusion of governmental funds into school budgets. Following the launching of Sputnik I in 1958, the federal government made funds available first to upgrade the knowledge of science and mathematics teachers and later this outpouring of monies was utilized for almost any change educators might wish to attempt. One such attempt to produce fundamental change in schools involved development of differentiated staffing plans in education; such plans purport to meet the need of the education career ladder concept. Differentiated staffing models developed and proliferated under the Educations Professions Development Act guidelines.' Although one might easily fall into the trap of questioning both the innovation and intentions of those seeking change,2 let us accept all differential staffing plans in good faith and attempt to isolate their effect on improved teaching-learning. Differentiated staffing attempts both restructuring and redeployment of teaching personnel.3 This move toward decentralization within schools permits decisions affecting one's teaching tasks to occur at a lower level in the school environment. The concept of the career ladder in education becomes a practical reality since different teaching positions now carry precise job descriptions with accompanying pay differentiation. Maidment also has suggested the need to pay teachers (those, at higher levels of stratification) more than administrators. Thus, differentiated staffing generally encourages teachers to remain in a teaching position, e.g. the career ladder; implicitly implying that this will result in improved teaching-learning. Interestingly, Goodlad has suggested that no scheme of school or curricular organization can wash away human variability or problems of dealing with this variability instructionally.4 If this assumption is correct, then we may question any organizational effort conducted merely to shuffle the existing structure; hence, we must expect differentiated staffing to benefit teaching and learning.

Reconstructing differentiated staffing to improve teaching‐learning

These writers propose a five-rung career ladder designed to allow the counselor to assume wider ranging responsibilities and greater financial rewards.

A Career Ladder for School Counselors

http://bul.sagepub.com/content/57/369/53.full.pdf

Differentiated Staffing: "Different Strokes for Different Folks"

Citations

Small City School Districts’ Capacity for Improvement and the Struggle for Educational Equity:

The current training practices and perceived training needs of paraprofessionals in special education programs in Nebraska

Reconstructing differentiated staffing to improve teaching‐learning

A Career Ladder for School Counselors

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