Untapped Potential? Understanding the Paraeducator-to-Teacher Pipeline and its Potential for Diversifying the Teacher Workforce
Andrew M. Camp 
What We Studied and Why It Matters
Paraeducators are one of the largest groups of public education employees and are increasingly viewed as a promising source of new teachers — especially for diversifying the profession. But how well does this pipeline actually work? Using statewide administrative data from Arkansas, we found that while paraeducators are more racially and ethnically diverse than the current teacher workforce, Black and Hispanic paraeducators are less likely than White paraeducators to transition into teaching. Teachers who do come through the paraeducator pipeline perform similarly to those without paraeducator experience, so quality is not a concern. However, our simulations show that the pipeline’s potential to meaningfully diversify the teaching profession is limited unless programs are highly targeted toward underrepresented groups. These findings have direct implications for how states and districts design grow-your-own and paraeducator-to-teacher programs.
Links
Citation
@misc{camp2024,
author = {Camp, Andrew M. and Zamarro, Gema and McGee, Josh B.},
title = {Untapped {Potential?} {Understanding} the
{Paraeducator-to-Teacher} {Pipeline} and Its {Potential} for
{Diversifying} the {Teacher} {Workforce}},
date = {2024-09-01},
url = {https://edworkingpapers.com/ai24-1034},
langid = {en}
}