Planning and Providing Professional Development for Paraeducators

This session, designed for professional development providers and school leaders, will highlight key resources from three state- and national centers, share examples from various training formats, explore popular topics, provide insights from webinars and participant feedback, and offer best practices. Note: This is not a direct training for paraeducators.Participants will be able to: 1. Design effective paraeducator training programs by aligning content with school, district, and statewide initiatives, utilizing free and low-cost online resources from national and regional centers, and ensuring ongoing professional development beyond onboarding. 2. Identify and learn strategies to help paraeducators understand and apply evidence-based instructional and behavioral approaches that equip them with practical skills for supporting diverse learners and students with disabilities. 3. Use paraeducator feedback and policy guidelines to refine training efforts, ensuring sessions address evolving educational requirements, meet paraeducators’ learning needs, and support their long-term effectiveness in schools.