Paraprofessionals: As the ‘Backbones’ of the Classroom, They Get Low Pay, Little Support
Associate professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and director of the Education Policy Analytics Lab (EPAL) Min Sun is featured in an article in Education Week titled “Paraprofessionals: As the ‘Backbones’ of the Classroom, They Get Low Pay, Little Support.” In the article, Min commented that more districts are starting to realize that supporting paraprofessionals can be one pathway toward diversifying the teaching profession and that paraprofessionals as a group are much more likely to be racially diverse than teachers. Min also noted that going through the teacher certification process shouldn’t be the only form of professional growth for paraeducators, and that many are happy where they are.