Educational Assistants: Unsung Heroes of the Classroom
Dr. Norm Forman
One of the key resource people for children with special needs is the educational assistant (EA). Children with epilepsy, for example, can benefit greatly with informed interventions based on the knowledge and skills of the educational assistant working with them. In our work with special needs children, Parents Advocacy in the School has determined that the absence or reduction of EA services can negatively affect the educational well-being of the youngsters involved.
Rather than waiting for the situation to improve, we have implemented a program called Educational Assistants in the Home to supply this much needed help. It is our belief that EAs have not received enough credit or recognition regarding their contributions in the schools. I believe it is worthwhile to review their background on the educational scene.
There are a variety of Educational Assistants who may be found in a modern classroom. Some work in a junior and senior kindergarten setting and others work with children who have a variety of special needs. Their roles and professional training have evolved over many years. Because of their relatively low profile and their lack of status, however, EAs sometimes fail to get the recognition that they deserve.
Reviewing the history of the para-educator field, we find that the formal Educational Assistant role is relatively new in North America. The main force behind this movement came about when school boards were presented with mandatory legislation requiring them to educate all children. This meant that children with special needs were now attending school and their safety and educational requirements became of primary importance.
In the late 1970s in the United States and in the 1980s in Canada, assistants began to take on a specific role in education. This was spurred on by legal changes to the system.
In 1980, the landmark legislation enacted in Ontario, known as Bill 82, included the requirement of free, appropriate public education of all students regardless of the exceptionality they might have. In 1984, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed equity without discrimination based on mental or physical handicaps. These developments were highlighted when, in 1985, all Ontario boards were required to have a full range of services available for all of their students with exceptionalities.
Gradually, this led to training and certification programs which today have evolved into sophisticated community college-based programs leading to professional careers. However, despite these gains, formal recognition for Educational Assistants has been slow and, in fact, in Ontario para-educators are not specifically mentioned in any formal legislation. The hiring and utilization of EAs has been tied to the Ontario provincial funding model for students with exceptionalities. While the funding model makes reference to EAs, the critically important Education Act does not and, therefore, no requirement for training or certification is included. This omission has compromised Educational Assistants, weakening their role as professional educational players on the team.
Several community colleges, offering EA programs, view para-educators as providing support to students with special needs, which means usually those with academic, intellectual, developmental, physical, neurological, communicational, behavioural and/or social-emotional problems. That includes a lot of children! While the schools offering EA certification programs believe that the EAs have a great deal to contribute to the learning of special needs children, employment settings vary widely in their full utilization of EAs.
EAs deserve a lot more recognition and praise than they are currently receiving. They should be viewed as full contributing members of the educational team and participate accordingly. This is not always the case.
In a recent meeting, for example, in which Parent's Advocacy in the School represented a parent and her child, we were dismayed to find the EA not present. This file involved a youngster from a behavioural class who had been suspended numerous times. The school was at a loss as to what to do with this child, which made the contributions of all educational resource personnel that much more crucial. When asked during the meeting where the EA was, we were told that the teacher had talked to her and was conveying her thoughts to the group!
The EAs are in a position to shed light on particular disabilities with which they may be more familiar than the teachers. In the case of epilepsy, for example, they could serve as educators as well as helping individual children to better handle their difficulties.
I believe that failing to invite the EA to the meeting showed a disrespect for her, was not good educational practice, and sent the wrong message to the EA and other personnel. If the professional role and the accompanying appropriate stature is to evolve for EAs, they must share their thoughts and observations in these kinds of meetings. Their presence then communicates a message about their role and the value of their contributions as significant front-line workers. They are the ones who can share the content of the all-important Planning Logs with their accompanying Program Descriptions and the valuable personal observations section which they fill out.
Parents should ask to speak to the EAs directly, since they are the front-line workers who, in some cases, best know the children with whom they work. Find out exactly what the EA is working on and ask for advice about how you can supplement their efforts with your own.
More Info
Parent's Advocacy in the School
Educational Assistant in the Home Program
416-429-8511
416-429-7857 fax
<assistantinthehome@rogers.com>
Dr. Norm Forman is a Registered Psychologist and Administrator of the Parent's Advocacy in the School program.
