The ESProfessionals:
An Action Guide to Help in Your Professional Development

Local Association Success Stories:
Dealing with ESEA

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) may be on the books, but that doesn't mean support professionals are on their own as they work to meet the federal law's new requirements.

ESEA, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act, outlines specific qualifications for paraprofessionals who work in Title I-funded programs. These paras must have a high school diploma and either an associate's degree, two years of college, or a passing score on a state or local assessment that demonstrates their ability to assist with instruction in reading, writing, and math. Newly hired paraprofessionals must meet the requirements immediately, while those hired before Jan. 8, 2002, have until 2006.

Among NEA members, 66 percent of paraprofessionals have less than a two-year degree, according to a 2002 NEA ESP Membership Study.

How are local associations helping their paraprofessional members meet the federal requirements? Here's a look:

New Jersey: In New Jersey's Trenton Paraprofessional Association (TPA), where about 75 percent of the local's 300 members currently do not meet the education requirements of ESEA, association leaders arranged for several two- and four-year colleges to provide classes at a local high school.

TPA also bargained tuition reimbursement into its contract. The district pays tuition expenses up front, so the paraprofessionals never pay anything out of pocket. The local also organized a workshop to help those paraprofessionals who return to college.

New Mexico: The Classified School Employees Council of Las Cruces, New Mexico, secured additional education for its paraprofessionals. The local worked with the Las Cruces Public Schools, Dona Ana Branch Community College, and New Mexico State University to create a "career ladder" for paraprofessionals, says Irma Valdespino, president of the local. The school district pays tuition for paras who pursue an associate's degree at the community college. Paras then can apply those credits toward a bachelor's degree at New Mexico State University, where the school district also covers the cost of tuition and books.

Paraprofessionals who complete 60 credit hours advance on the salary schedule as well, says Milas McLeod, a middle school paraprofessional and vice president of the local Association. And in 2003, the local will bargain for additional compensation to reflect the new standards paraprofessionals must meet.

"To retain these people the district will have to restructure the salary scale," McLeod says. "As people get better educated, school officials are going to have to pay better."

North Carolina: Members of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) turned their state paraprofessional assessment into an organizing tool.

Through its Center for Teaching and Learning, NCAE offers local and regional workshops to prepare paraprofessionals for WorkKeys, the assessment selected by the state department of education for ESEA.

The Association offers the workshops only to NCAE members, so UniServ directors and local presidents publicize them during membership recruitment drives, says Angela Farthing, manager of the Center for Teaching and Learning. ESP membership has increased 25 percent since the workshops started in August 2002, she says.

More than 60 percent of paraprofessionals who complete the workshops pass WorkKeys the first time, Farthing says. Those who don't, receive remediation or attend additional review sessions.

Want More about ESEA?

NEA has developed a comprehensive online site where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, checklists and steps you can take right now to get informed about how the law affects you, and links to other resources. You can also call the NEA-ESEA Hotline with questions or suggestions: (866) 373-3732.

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