Electricians Have Apprenticeships and Licenses—Paraeducators Get a Lanyard
(Room 552 A)
11 Nov 26
4:00 PM
-
5:00 PM
Tracks:
Innovating for Success: Cutting Edge Practices
What the Skilled Trades Teach Us About Professionalizing Paraeducators What if we treated paraeducators the way we treat electricians? Electricians don't need college degrees to earn respect, career pathways, and strong wages. They have apprenticeships, mentors, licensure, and credentials that verify their expertise. The infrastructure exists because someone built it. Paraeducators support students with the most significant needs in our schools, Yet most receive minimal training, no mentor, no credential pathway, and little hope of advancement. We've accepted "figure it out" as a professional development strategy. . This session challenges that acceptance. We'll examine how the skilled trades professionalized their workforce and translate those lessons into actionable strategies for paraeducators—mentorship models, tiered roles, training pathways, and compensation structures. Come ready to design, not just discuss. Leave with a framework you can put into action.