2020 Annual Conference

paraprofessional, paraeducator, alternative route, education policy, complexity

Roundtable

Application and Instruction

This roundtable session will present an overview of lessons learned during the first four years of an alternative route program for paraprofessionals to become bachelor’s degree holders and certified teachers at an urban campus of a research-intensive public university.   The session’s purpose is to provide a brief overview of the program’s characteristics and present some of the challenges and successes experienced during the development and implementation of this program.  Alternative route programs exist within complex systems and must balance the needs of multiple stakeholders, including teacher candidates, school districts, the university, and public entities.  By attending this session, the audience will gain insights into how one program has navigated these complex systems while serving diverse, largely first-generation college students who work in culturally and linguistically diverse schools.  Attendees will also learn how understanding complex systems can help programs and policymakers recognize and address their own unique contextual demands and opportunities.  

IHE-based Program Administrators
Non-IHE-based Program Administrators
State Agency Administrators
Human Resources Administrators
Researchers
Faculty