Recent research documents the positive impact that paraprofessionals have on student learning. Given these strengths, states and districts across the country have developed programs to attract and prepare paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. Despite increased interest in expanding pathways for the paraeducator workforce, research has also consistently revealed that paraeducators encounter obstacles along the career development continuum from recruitment, preparation, placement, and induction. Given the professionalization challenges paraeducators face, this special issue introduction highlights paraeducator research studies that describe innovative program design features, draw from and build on paraeducators’ funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth, and identify organizational structures in schools essential to supporting paraeducators’ development. We conclude with a recommended set of three core commitments for program designers, researchers, policy makers, or community and school district leaders dedicated to ensuring equitable paraeducator professional pathways in the educator workforce.

最近的研究记录了准专业人士对学生学习的积极影响。有了这些优势，全国各州和地区都制定了计划，以吸引和培养准专业人士成为合格的教师。尽管人们对扩大教育者的工作途径的兴趣日益浓厚，但研究也不断显示，教育者在职业发展连续过程中遇到了从招募，准备，安置和入职等方面的障碍。鉴于教育者面临的专业化挑战，本期专刊着重介绍了教育者研究，这些研究描述了创新的计划设计功能，借鉴和利用了教育者的知识和社区文化财富，并确定学校中对辅助教育者的发展至关重要的组织结构。最后，我们为计划设计师，研究人员，政策制定者或社区和学区负责人提供了一组建议的三项核心承诺，这些承诺致力于确保教育工作者队伍中公平的教育工作者专业途径。