Education support is an area of study and research that focuses on ensuring students get the best possible education. This includes creating education and lesson plans, providing educational counseling and suggesting teaching techniques to improve educational effectiveness.
These employees are the backbone of every school. Whether they are paraeducators, secretaries or custodians, their job is to make sure students can learn.
Education Supporters
Education support workers provide assistance and guidance to students and teachers in a variety of ways. They work full-time during school hours and receive several weeks off from work throughout the year for school and federal holidays. Education support professionals typically report to their schools’ principals or deans of students.
They may also assist with student placement or public school choice applications. Additionally, they may help parents obtain education assistance from the government.
Education Support (formerly Teacher Support Network and Recourse) is a charity that champions the mental health and wellbeing of teachers, lecturers and other staff in further and higher education. It provides a range of services including telephone counselling for stress and burnout. The charity also supports teaching assistants and all education support staff. It was originally founded as a benevolent fund for teachers in 1877.
Education Support Specialists
The education world’s backbone: secretaries, paraeducators, custodial staff, food service workers, bus drivers and security and transportation professionals. Without them, kids wouldn’t get extra help when they need it, the bells wouldn’t ring on time, classrooms wouldn’t be clean and students wouldn’t have a safe place to learn.
Education support specialists collaborate with teachers and administrators to design curricular development, lesson plans, teaching methods and classroom organization strategies. They can also specialize in a specific curriculum area, such as educational technology or gifted education.
ESPs are critical to every student’s success, yet they often go overlooked. We fight to make sure ESPs have decent wages, working conditions and respect for the important contributions they make. NJEA has a long, proud history of advancing the interests of ESP members from local to national levels. We’ve been at the forefront of organizing ESPs, winning wage increases, negotiating contracts and promoting legislation to improve their terms and conditions of employment.
Teaching Assistants
Many teaching assistants, often referred to as TAs, are former teachers who decide they want to spend more time with their students. Other teaching aides may be college undergraduates or graduates who are working on a degree in education or a related field on the side.
During the course of their work, TAs take attendance, record grades, prepare and hang bulletin boards and other classroom materials, make copies, and provide clerical support to teachers and students. Some TAs also tutor students, especially those who are not doing well in the classroom or need help with math, language arts or reading skills.
Some clerical and administrative staff also serve as substitute teachers, escort students to and from classes, and supervise students during lunch, recess and other non-instructional times. They also perform other miscellaneous duties as needed. The British charity Education Support (formerly Teacher Support Network, Recourse and Worklife Support Partnership) is dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of teachers, lecturers and school support staff in education.
Paraprofessionals
Sometimes called teacher’s assistants or aides, paraprofessionals provide classroom support for teachers. Their duties include helping students understand academic content and skills, assisting with classwork and grading assignments, interpreting for parents who speak limited English, and monitoring student behavior. Some paraprofessionals also help with classroom management and may lead small-group instruction.
These professionals often work with the same students throughout their shift, so they’re able to become familiar with their needs and strengths. In some cases, a paraprofessional acts as a student’s “special advocate” to ensure his or her individual education plan (IEP) or 504 plan is followed closely.
In addition to classroom duties, paraprofessionals frequently perform other responsibilities like processing homework and taking attendance. They often need to be observant and pick up on cues from students’ body language that they need more help with a subject. Some paraprofessionals are bilingual and may help ELL students with their lessons by speaking in their native language.