Educational assistants are important members of a school team. However, there can be some questions about the best way to use their time in an inclusive classroom. This is an important question that a lot of people, including school staff, are uncertain about.  Before we answer it, we should take a quick look at what we hope that school should do for our children.

One pair of researchers asked tens of thousands of parents what they thought schools should provide for their children (Villa and Thousand, p. 42). Their answers fit into 4four categories:

• belonging (forming meaningful relationships)
• mastery of skills and learning strategies, motivation, reaching potential
• independence (having choices, taking responsibility)
• generosity (offering abilities and efforts for the benefit of others)

Inclusive education recognizes that everyone has gifts and abilities that can be extended in any community for the benefit of all. Inclusion is more than being physically in the same location as others. So grouping children together is for the purpose of providing opportunities to learn collaboratively with other students. The question is, how can diverse students learn together?

The Teacher’s Role

Your child’s teacher is legally responsible for your child’s education. They are specialists in how to deliver the curriculum in ways that engage students and help them grow, academically and socially. They understand the big picture, and have access to continuous training and resources outside the classroom.

Teachers should be connecting and relating to every child in their classroom. Daily plans to support academic and social/emotional development need to come from teachers, since they are the professionals with the most expertise.

The EA’s Role 

The teacher is supported in the classroom by educational assistants.

The EA acts under the direction and supervision of the teacher. They may also have training and access to training, but their focus is on carrying out educational plans. That could mean:

• helping students with difficult parts of their work
• supporting a student to safely take a needed break
• Working with a small group of students, under a teacher’s guidance
• supervising the class while the teacher supports one particular student

Issues With One-on-One Support from EAs

Some students require a lot of one-on-one support and may not be ready to spend most of their day in the classroom. In these cases, EAs are often the only guiding adult present with a student for a large portion of the day.

This can create issues because when a child is away from classroom activities without teacher supervision, the teacher can’t plan for and evaluate their learning. While EAs are valuable members of an educational team, they have the least training, which isn’t always best to individually care for the students with the greatest learning needs.

A study interviewed high school graduates that were supported by a one-on-one EA about their experiences. The following themes emerged:

• The students were perceived and treated as immature and younger than they were.
• Although the EA often protected the students from bullies, having an EA sometimes made them a target for bullying.
• The students were isolated from instructional content and social interactions in the classroom.
• The students were less likely to receive adequate instruction when the EAs were doing some or all of the work assigned.

Many students still need alternate spaces for some of the day, though, especially if they:

• are not yet communicating
• need help with hygiene, eating, or medical needs
• have emotional reactions that pose a barrier to the learning and safety of other students
• need breaks from the classroom environment to remain regulated and engaged

Providing Ideal Support

When a student needs more individual support, there should also be an educational plan that builds skills for self-advocacy, communication, and social interaction with other students so that the student can enjoy learning with their peers. The plan should be developed and supervised by the classroom teacher as much as possible.

Example of How One-on-One Support from Teachers Can Be Better

Jeremy is a student who needed help managing his emotions. The plan in place at the beginning of the school year was for his EA to remove him from the room when he became upset, so the teacher could continue to do their job without interruption.

However, this plan resulted in more disruption, rather than less. The teacher and EA were inadvertently telling Jeremy that he was a distraction, and when he was feeling his worst, other students were more important to his teacher. Jeremy felt that he was “different.”

The next year, Jeremy’s new teacher took a different approach. The EA supervised the class when he needed supportive attention from his teacher. He had a positive experience in this class, and was much happier and focused on learning.

There may be ways to adjust the classroom environment and teaching routines to make it easier for all students to be present and engaged. The school’s resource teacher can train EAs as needed so that the child’s goals are supported on a daily basis. At times, the teacher can spend time with the student, while the EA supervises the class.

Educational assistants build close and supportive relationships with the students they serve. They know their students well and make sure that children have opportunities to learn every day. However, teachers establishing relationships with all students is critical. Each one belongs in his or her classroom, as people who are learning as part of a community.

So What About My Child’s Needs?

Parents often worry that if an EA isn’t with their child all of the time, they might not get the support that they need. Funding for students with disabilities is meant to support not just staff, but also other resources that allow children to be included and educated with their peers whenever possible. This is because the richest learning opportunities are in the classroom. When a child is ready to have some independence, they should be able to have that opportunity along with all the other children with the support of the classroom teacher.

So What Does an EA Do?

Educational assistants are necessary and valuable team members.  They allow time and attention to be given to varied student needs.  They can privately care for unique needs of some students in a respectful way.  But their role is not the same as that of a teacher.

As much as possible, educational assistants should be considered a support to a class and teacher, rather than to individual students.  In a sense, an EA’s job is to work themselves out of a job, promoting the competence and independence of the students under their care. 

Do appreciate your child’s EA – they are an important part of the team and probably have developed a close and supportive relationship with your child.  When you have questions, consult with your child’s teacher.  Encourage them to build a supportive relationship with your child too.  It’s their job to make sure your child’s educational needs are being met, in the most inclusive way possible.  

In considering the roles of educational professionals, it’s important to not lose sight of the reason our students are in school – to develop independence, share their gifts and abilities with other children, and to become lifelong learners.

Further Reading

Villa, R. and Thousand, J.  (2005).  Creating an Inclusive School.

Perspectives of Students With Intellectual Disabilities about their Experiences with Paraprofessional Support

One-to-One Paraprofessionals for Students With Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms: Is Conventional Wisdom Wrong?

Educational Assistants in Manitoba Schools

A Middle School Essay on Inclusion: Counting Everyone in the Everyone Category