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 semistructured
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.
