The National Education Support Professionals Day (NESPD) is an opportunity to recognize the services of educational support professionals. As the names suggest, education support professionals work in schools to help students succeed in their studies. The nomination process is simple, and can be done by anyone. All you need to do is describe the nominee’s accomplishment and meet the required criteria. Signed forms from the local school’s president are required. Here are a few ways to recognize an education support professional.
Academic support is a broad range of educational strategies to help students improve their performance. These programs may include tutoring, supplemental courses, volunteer tutoring, after-school programs, summer learning experiences, college services, and alternative ways of counseling students. They may be provided to individual students or to specific student populations. State and federal policies may require education support for special-education students. Schools may also create academic support programs to address specific performance results. Using a combination of educational support strategies in schools can benefit students and teachers.
Education Support was founded in 1877 as a benevolent fund for teachers. Today, the organization provides support to schools and teachers at all levels of education. Education Support also works with schools to promote the good mental health of educators and support school leaders in their roles. The charity has more than 53,000 members nationwide. In addition to supporting educators in their career, Education Support also offers services for adults, higher education, and further education institutions. Further, its members work to protect the professional interests of educators by promoting job security, pension benefits, and health care.
Education support professionals provide counseling, inform students of available resources, and suggest teaching techniques to improve educational effectiveness. Education supporters are employed by schools of all types, and they work full time during school hours. They are generally not required to travel outside the school grounds. Education support professionals report directly to the school principal or other educational staff members. They work closely with other members of the educational staff. They also advise students on how to achieve their educational goals. Many schools seek education supporters with prior work experience.
The National Public Education Support Fund is a global learning community for education funders. The organization supports the Alliance for Excellent Education and other educational initiatives that support public schools and education reform. Terri Shuck, who founded the NPESF, served as Executive Director for 10 years, helped build the community of education funders. She has also helped shape the Alliance for Excellent Education. Its mission is to improve public education, improve public schools, and foster equity.
Despite the stress of their jobs, educational support professionals in Minnesota’s public schools often work multiple jobs. Currently, the number of open esp positions in Minneapolis Public Schools has risen to 370, an increase of 22 percent from the same date last year. If the contracts are not negotiated before the March 8 strike, the educational support professionals in Minneapolis and St. Paul are planning a walkout. If the union fails to come to an agreement, some of them may even be living in their cars or homeless shelters.
Cyrus Driver joined the National Public Education Support Fund in April 2015. Before joining NPESF, he was VP for Strategy at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. He previously worked for the Ford Foundation from 1998 to 2011. He has a background in community organizing and co-directed coalition building strategies at Designs for Change. He holds a Ph.D. in economics of education and a M.A. in education. He is passionate about improving education for vulnerable children.
ESPs earn higher wages than other professionals in Minnesota’s public schools. In fact, according to Federal Reserve data, ESPs in Minneapolis will earn as much as top administrators. They will also be able to access the same health insurance coverage as school administrators. However, the government has proposed a new health care plan that will increase the cost of visits to the doctor. The strike may be a good time for these professionals to pursue a teaching license, albeit if you’re not ready to start working immediately.
One way to address this problem is by increasing the amount of time a student spends in school. A well-planned school-based academic support program will provide extra time for struggling students to practice skills and learn complex concepts. And the school may also offer supplemental support opportunities like peer tutoring and after-school programs. There are several other options available to address the problem. So, how do you make use of these resources? The best way is to ask yourself – What is your own school doing to help your child succeed?