Please fill out a blank index card with your:

• Position ( principal, paraeducator, general educator,

special educator, social worker, etc.)

• Gender

• Years of experience in current position

• Level of education ( Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s,

etc.)

• Biggest challenge you face in creating a collaborative

teacher-paraeducator relationship

Improving Students'

Social-Emotional

Outcomes Through

Effective Teacher-

Paraeducator

Collaboration

ei.yale.edu | ruler.yale.edu

TWITTER: @rulerapproach | FACEBOOK: the RULER approach

Tia N. Barnes, Ph.D.

Christina C. Crowe, Ph.D.

Lisa Flynn, B.A.

Introductions

• Name

• School

• Biggest collaboration challenge

Objectives

Participants will ……

• Learn how teacher-paraeducator

collaboration nurtures student

social-emotional development

• Learn about the Yale Recognizing

Excellence in Learning and

Teaching (RELATE) project

• Identify strategies to promote

teacher-paraeducator

collaboration

Problem Behaviors

Problem Behavior Negative Outcomes

Problem Behaviors

• poor academic outcomes (August et al., 2001; Gosch & Flannery-Schroeder, 2006).

• strained family and peer relationships (Weissman et al., 2009).

• increased risk of substance abuse and adult criminality (Donoghue et al., 2006; Hudleyet al., 1998).

Problem Behaviors

Problem Behavior Negative Outcomes

Problem Behaviors

Problem Behavior Negative Outcomes

Teacher-Paraeducator Collaboration

What is it?

Teachers and

paraeducators working

together to provide a

quality learning

environment for students

Benefits of Educator Collaboration

EDUCATORS

• Increased

professional

satisfaction

• Increased personal

support

• Increased

professional

growth

STUDENTS

• Decreased problem

behavior

• Improved academic

performance

• Greater

understanding of

material

• Positive models

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

The RELATE Project aims to promote quality

special education learning environments by

enabling:

ei.yale.edu | The RELATE Project is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation (Grant ID #180276)

The RELATE Project

ei.yale.edu

• effective instruction

• evaluation

• professional development

The RELATE Tool for Classroom Observation is

designed specifically for classrooms serving

students with special education needs.

ei.yale.edu | The RELATE Project is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation (Grant ID #180276)

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

What is RELATE?

ei.yale.edu

We are studying its utility for self-

contained or alternative setting special

education classrooms serving students

primarily with behavioral and social

challenges.

Need for RELATE

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

Current classroom observation tools do not

adequately capture the range of interactions.

After three years of research we have

arrived at three components necessary

for the meaningful observation of a

special education classroom

ei.yale.edu

Overview of the RELATE Tool

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

ei.yale.edu

Interactions between educators reflect unity

of purpose, clear classroom

management/instructional strategies, and

support a quality learning environment

Component 1: Collaboration

ei.yale.edu

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

Interactions between educator and students

identify, acknowledge and accommodate for

individual learning needs and goals

Component 2: Accommodations

ei.yale.edu

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and

Evaluation

Interactions between educator and students

promote a physical and psychologically safe

learning environment

Component 3: Prevention and Evaluation

ei.yale.edu

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

Interactions between educators reflect unity

of purpose, clear classroom

management/instructional strategies, and

support a quality learning environment

Component 1: Collaboration

ei.yale.edu

Collaboration

Accommodations

Prevention and Evaluation

Today’s Focus

Meet our Educators

Elements of Collaborative Relationships

Solidarity

Utilization of Staff

Respect

Disrespect

Alone we can do so little.

Together we can do so

much.

-Helen Keller

Solidarity

Solidarity

the consistent

presentation of teamwork

among educators in the

classroom

Benefits of Solidarity

• Promotes consistency in

the classroom

• Undermines attempts to

challenge educator

authority

Solidarity

Deferring

“We” language

Reinforcing/Restating

A group becomes a team

when each member is sure

enough of himself and his

contribution to praise the

skill of the others.

-Norman Shidle

Utilization of Staff

Utilization of Staff

how the lead classroom

teacher utilizes the support

of the additional staff

member(s) to enable or

hinder the smooth

functioning of the

classroom

Utilization of Staff

Delegating

Self-Starting

Attending

Barriers to Utilization of Staff

Teacher

• Lack of supervision

training

• Not involved in hiring

process

• Lack of time

Paraeducator

• Lack of training

• Lack of time

• Unclear roles

Administrator

• Lack of information

Strategies for Utilization of Staff

• Involve teachers in the

hiring process

• Attend training on

supervising para-

educators

• Offer teacher-para prep

time at the beginning of

the year

• Create a communication

system

“Collaboration begins with

mutual understanding and

respect.”

― Astronaut Ron Garan

Respect and Disrespect

Respect is defined by

educators holding one

another in high regard and

acknowledging each

other’s work in the

classroom

Benefits of Respect

• increased productivity in the teacher-

paraeducator relationship

• easier to collaborate

• more likely to take risks

How do we foster respect?

School climate

valuing all school employees and their

contributions

Teaming up

How do we foster respect?

• use of each other’s name

• make eye contact

• presence of manners

• warm tone

Copyright © 2015 Yale University

All rights reserved. This publication may not be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without prior permission

from Yale University.

Research generously funded by a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation (ID#180276)