Roles of Paraeducators: A Text Analysis of Job Advertisements

• In Event: Staffing for Special Education Service Delivery and Impacts of SPED Service Delivery Models

Abstract

Motivation

Paraeducators make up a substantial and growing proportion of the workforce in US public schools and are integral to the daily function of schools, particularly for high-needs students (Bisht et al., 2021). They serve a variety of roles, including supporting instruction, behavior management, and logistical duties (Giangreco et al., 2010). Yet, research indicates that paraeducators’ roles in practice do not always align with their training or expectations (Mason et al., 2021; Fisher & Pleasants, 2012). This may contribute to high rates of turnover, which is much higher among paraeducators than teachers (Theobald et al., 2025). This study builds upon emergent literature on the paraeducator workforce by analyzing the content of paraeducator job postings in Rhode Island. We shed light on the ways in which the advertised nature of paraeducator positions aligns and diverges from state and national standards.  

Research Questions

In our analysis, we answer the following research questions:

1. How do paraeducator job posting descriptions align with state-level and national competencies for paraeducators?

2. How does the likelihood of certain descriptive characteristics of job postings vary based on district and school characteristics (e.g., urbanicity, enrollment, achievement)?

Method

We analyze web-scraped data from all publicly available job postings from Rhode Island. Based on 21,464 total posts collected across a twelve-month span (January-December 2024), we identify and analyze 887 unique posts. Our analysis is based on a taxonomy of competencies and working conditions of paraeducators, aligned with state and national standards (i.e., Rhode Island Department of Education, National Education Association, Council for Exceptional Children). We use keywords related to statewide and national standards for paraeducators, as well as common elements of job descriptions (e.g., salary, degree requirements, program area), to analyze the content of each post. 

Findings

Overall, we find notable discrepancies between the content of job postings and the responsibilities of paraeducators as identified in state and national standards.

While approximately 60% of job descriptions include keywords related to instruction or behavior, far fewer include keywords related to collaboration (11%), technology (11%), learning differences (6%), cultural competence (3%) or child development (1%), all of which are core components of statewide and national standards. Additionally, despite research indicating that the majority of paraeducator jobs are in the field of special education (Cramer et al., 2017), we find that less than a third of paraeducator postings in our sample reference “special education” in the job title (21%) or description (33%). 

Implications and Future Directions

This study leverages a novel dataset to analyze publicly available job postings for paraeducators. Given that there is an international dearth of research that examines the paraeducator workforce at scale (Webster & De Boer, 2021), this study contributes to the field by offering insights into the nature of paraeducator roles and how responsibilities and expectations diverge in practice versus formalized standards. Inconsistencies in the roles and responsibilities included in job descriptions may ultimately contribute to role confusion and turnover if paraeducators are not well informed of expectations across all stages of the recruitment process.

Author

• Lindsey Kaler, Brown University
  Presenting Author