Education support services include tutoring, counseling, mentoring, coaching, feedback, and other activities that aim to improve the quality and accessibility of education. These services benefit students, teachers, and administrators alike.
From paraeducators to custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers, every education support professional brings something unique to their school and community. Let’s respect that!
1. Identify your needs and goals.
Education support services provide a range of academic, administrative, and financial support for students, teachers, and educational institutions. They help improve learning outcomes, foster innovation and collaboration, and increase access and equity.
The best way to identify your needs and goals is by analyzing student data. This will give you a clear picture of the areas where your educators need the most support.
Once you have identified your educator learning needs, it’s time to start planning for professional development. An effective professional learning plan will include short and long term goals, clearly define how the goal will be achieved, and provide regular feedback on the progress of your teachers.
The most important thing to remember is that you have to engage with the service to get the most out of it. This means attending sessions, following instructions, and communicating with the provider. It also means being proactive, curious, and open minded. Ultimately, you should always be seeking improvement and asking for feedback.
2. Research your options.
Education support services are a vital component of the educational system. They provide a range of academic, administrative, and technical services to students, teachers, and education institutions. These services can help to improve student learning, enhance teacher effectiveness and efficiency, and foster innovation and collaboration.
Every day, students interact with a variety of school staff. From a quick exchange with a custodian to an IEP meeting with a paraprofessional, each of these interactions impacts students’ experience at school. This is why it is important to build strong relationships with all the people that touch the lives of students.
Education Support (formerly Teacher Support Network, Recourse, and Worklife Support) is a UK charity that supports the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals. The organisation offers advice, counselling and a wide range of other support services for trainees, new and serving teachers, lecturers, school leaders and higher education and adult learning staff. It also provides professional development opportunities.
3. Ask for help.
Asking for help is a critical social skill that should be taught to students and children. When they’re stuck on a homework problem or don’t understand the teacher’s instructions, students should be encouraged to reach out for assistance.
Teachers want to help their students learn, so they’re more than happy to provide clarification and guidance. However, many students are hesitant to ask for help because they don’t want to look dumb in front of their peers or they fear that the teacher won’t be able to give them exactly what they need.
To combat this, educators can encourage students to use a variety of methods to seek help, including emailing the teacher or attending office hours. They can also assign a “help-seeking buddy” to each student so that they have someone to turn to when they need assistance. This will encourage students to ask for help more often and build their confidence in this vital skill.
4. Get help when you need it.
Education support services provide invaluable help to students and educators. They help students develop their academic skills, including reading, writing, and math, as well as non-academic skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and self-regulation. They also help students cope with stress, anxiety, and depression.
The success of educational support services depends on their availability, accessibility, and quality. They need to be flexible, responsive, and user-friendly, and should use a learner-centered approach. They should also be willing to experiment with new models, methods, and practices, and foster a culture of innovation and transformation. Finally, they need to be adequately resourced and funded to ensure their continued availability and quality. This may involve increasing the allocation and distribution of public funds, as well as seeking alternative or additional sources of funding. It may also involve implementing and evaluating data collection and reporting systems and tools.