How a Multi-Year Partnership Sustains and Supports Paras Across 10 School Districts
The Clackamas Educational Service District (CESD), located in Clackamas County, Oregon, partners with 10 public school districts in the region to expand their ability to support students. Their goal is to provide cost-effective services that cover a range of areas, from early learning and special education to technology and teacher and staff support, to ensure all families have access to equitable education services.
A key part of the CESD’s goal is supporting paraeducators in the crucial work they do every day, through professional development that meets their needs and that fits into their tightly-scheduled days.
To address this need, the CESD engaged in a multi-year partnership with 321 Insight to license the on-demand ParaSharp Professional Development Series. The solution consists of bite-sized, 3 -13 minute videos and resources focused on topics that matter most to paras, such as proactive behavior management, building strong relationships with both students and teachers, and strategies to support and sustain student regulation.
The district also licensed the Trauma Informed Series. Similar in structure to ParaSharp, the Trauma Informed Series provides brief videos and resources designed to help all staff develop a trauma-informed mindset and the trauma-responsive skills they need to effectively address the impacts of adversity.
Establishing a Winning Partnership with CESD
The CESD has been partnering with 321 Insight for several years to ensure paras in the district have access to ParaSharp. Angie Kautz, Assistant Director of Student Services at the CESD, has noticed a significant and positive impact on para practice as a result. “The confidence of classified staff skyrocketed as they started to see they could do this, and that it will have a positive impact.” said Kautz, adding that paras have developed a consistent language, understanding, and mindset around applying their learning as a result. “The success we’re seeing is because we can now meet people where they are; we are providing resources that meet their needs and time.”
Creating Buy-In with Clear Communication a Shared Vision
Initially, the CESD struggled to find a way to engage paras, primarily because time constraints were a challenge. Kautz realized she needed someone to take the lead in introducing district leaders to ParaSharp, listening to their needs, and helping them develop a plan that both supports their needs and fits their schedules. That person is Elaine Merighi Morelock, Coordinator for Support Staff Partnership & Learning.
Merighi Morelock met with key stakeholders at each district to introduce the ParaSharp Series and model its flexibility. During the meeting, Merighi Morelock had conversations with the leaders about challenges such as time constraints, para availability, and other concerns, and then worked with them to co-create a plan to address them to make this resource accessible to all paras. “The most urgent need we hear from districts is that during scheduled PD days, classified staff have anywhere from 30 minutes to the whole day, and that requires flexibility.” Merighi Morelock said. “They needed PD that fit the time they had available. We encouraged them to look at what they have – 30 minutes? One hour? We’ll take it!” she said.
Implementing the Solution: A Team Effort
This approach was instrumental to driving para engagement with the content. By identifying one person to take the lead, who would collaborate with the 321 Insight Implementation Team to support the implementation, the CESD has begun to build and sustain engagement in districts. “Districts first need to identify someone who knows how to facilitate and has the passion and capacity to take this on.” Merighi Morelock said. “Once you view the content, you realize there is very little prep time to implement, so the most important thing is the conversations. It’s all about the conversations.” she said.
The CESD also credits support from the 321 Insight Implementation team for helping them sustain this success. “You can lean on the 321 Insight team to help you create implementation plans and build the capacity of your staff.” Kautz said. “They are an incredible resource.”
Lessons Learned: Key Take-Aways for Sustained Para PD Across Districts
This partnership has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on paraeducators throughout the CESD. Merighi Morelock feels ParaSharp has also had a positive influence on retention. “Many schools have shared that they haven’t lost staff this year.” she said. “One of the things is that Paras feel heard, seen, and validated; providing growth opportunities is a major component of retention. Belonging is the number one reason people stay.”
How can other partners replicate this success? Kautz and Merighi Morelock say the first step is to take stock of the resources you have available, create a plan that leverages what you can do, and avoid focusing on the barriers. “Don’t look at what you can’t do; instead, look at where the little spaces of time are and use them.” said Kautz.
Merighi Morelock agreed, and added that it takes just one person to take the lead for this to be a success. “You just need one person who can make the space for conversation, who listens, and reaffirms how essential paras are.” she said. “The rest will grow because the content is already there.”
Above all, don’t give up, says Merighi Morelock. This learning is essential to helping educators fully support their students. “There is a human component of us that shuts down if we’re not safe.” she said. “The academics are why we’re here, but if students don’t feel safe, they won’t be able to learn. We’ve seen the negative impact of ignoring this and we can’t ignore it anymore.”
For more information on how your district’s paras can benefit from ParaSharp’s job-specific, on-demand PD, visit https://www.321insight.com/parasharp.
