A study of the use of a guide to school wide planning for teacher aide supports in a New Zealand primary school

Abstract

This study chronicled a process of schoolwide planning for teacher aide supports in a New Zealand primary school. The process replicated the work of Giangreco, Edelman and Broer and followed the guidelines set out in their work - A Guide to Schoolwide Planning for Paraeducator Supports (Giangreco, Edelman, & Broer, 2001a). Data reflect the utilisation and outcomes of the process by school personnel and by the voluntary school team, which was made up of representatives from all adult constituencies of the school community, that is, management, teachers, teacher aides and parents. Results indicated that the process assisted the school and the team in self assessing their teacher aide practices, identifying priorities in need of improvement and developing action plans. Some logistical difficulties were encountered in the implementation of these plans, but despite these difficulties, the team reported a high level of satisfaction with the process. They reported that the process did what it purported to do and rated it highly on consumer-oriented variables (e.g. the logic of the process, ease of use). Additionally, teacher aides responded positively to a questionnaire on the impact of the process on their work and the school team took part in semi-structured interviews to document the impact of the process on school personnel and student outcomes. Implications for teacher aide supports for teachers of students with special education needs in regular classrooms are discussed.