What are the Roles of Paraprofessionals in Inclusive Schools?

The expansion of inclusive educational programs over the last two decades has prompted practitioners and researchers to examine ways to provide academic and social supports to students with disabilities in these settings (Hunt & McDonnell, 2007; McLeskey, Rosenberg, & Westling, 2013). One widely advocated approach is the use of one-to-one paraprofessionals to provide assistance to students to participate successfully in classroom activities (Chopra & French, 2004; French & Chopra, 1999; Werts, Harris, Tillery, & Roark, 2004; Wolery, Werts, Caldwell, Snyder, & Liskowski, 1995).