SLACK Books sat down with the authors of Supporting Paraeducators in Special Education and Inclusive Settings and got an in-depth look at their reasons for writing the book and what the publishing process was like. Check it out below!
In your own words, what was your motivation for writing this book?
Denise Uitto: This is the capstone of my professional career: to collaboratively write a book that captures how to effectively supervise paraeducators and support their work through daily interactions with teachers and administrators.
Emily Sobeck: When I reflected on my time as a teacher, combined with my doctoral training and early career work, I always found paraeducators to be an area of special education that needed growth. I felt as though paraeducator supervision and management is such an important part of the service delivery for students with disabilities that was often overlooked. It continues to need to be emphasized and focused on more within pre-service teacher preparation programs and with in-service teachers. Alongside other experienced researchers and practitioners, I wanted to work together to provide a book that pulls together critical information and evidence-based practices to help establish and strengthen paraeducator-teacher working relationships. I wanted a resource for teachers, administrators, and paraeducators, both pre-service and in-service, based on research and practice that can offer tools and guidance for paraeducator utilization and management. I wanted a research-supported, practical, and easy to follow resource for school and institutions of higher education. The better equipped our administrators, teachers, and paraeducators are to work with one another, the more successful our students will be.
Sarah Douglas: As a former teacher, I remember how important my paraeducators were to the quality education of our students with disabilities, but I felt ill prepared to direct and oversee them. One of my goals of obtaining a PhD was to conduct research to help other teachers in their work with paraeducators. My professional work has been seeking to fill this gap and ensure there are resources available to support both teachers and paraeducators and provide quality education to all students with disabilities.
What educational gaps does this book fill in your field?
Sobeck: Paraeducators are a topic that have been long overlooked and not been a priority within teacher preparation programs and school structures. This book fills a huge gap by providing an accessible resource to prepare pre-and in-service administrators, teachers, and paraeducators and is filled with evidence-based information and strategies. It is culminative in that it covers numerous topics associated to paraeducators and is all grounded in research. It is a great tool to help bridge the research to practice gap when it comes to paraeducators.
Douglas: Paraeducators are hugely neglected in the research, despite the fact that they outnumber special education teachers. This book provides resources for pre-service and in-service educators with content to help understand the law and professional guidelines for the use of paraeducators, materials to support supervision, and strategies to ensure communication and collaboration are appropriate.
What was your experience like working with SLACK Books as your publisher?
Uitto: SLACK Books was supportive, communicative, and collaborative through each step of the writing, editing, and production processes.
Sobeck: From the start, the individuals at SLACK Books have been supportive, clear, and as transparent as possible with the process. I think one area that has been most notable is the prompt communication. Not only would Tony meet up at with me at CEC conferences, but he and the whole team have always responded quickly to questions and emails. It should also be noted that this text began a few months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately caused delays on our end as authors. SLACK Books was very understanding and supportive throughout this time. I would highly recommend SLACK Books to fellow authors and researchers.
Douglas: SLACK Books has been so helpful in this process, and patient when delays occurred due to COVID, births, health struggles, etc. Although writing a book is a huge undertaking, SLACK Books has made it as painless as possible.
Learn more about Drs. Sobeck, Douglas, and Uitto's book, Supporting Paraeducators in Special Education and Inclusive Settings, here. Plus, save 20% when using promo code AU20!