For most teachers, the challenges associated with classroom management and daily operations are made better by the support they receive from paraprofessionals working alongside them in the classroom. Paraprofessionals’ roles are multifaceted, ranging from providing one-on-one student support to managing small group instruction and administrative tasks behind the scenes. But so often, this group of educators don’t have access to professional learning that is tailored to their roles.
In 2024, the Oregon Trail REN partnered with Pendleton Early Learning Center Principal, Angela Lattin, to create Classified Connection. Lattin, who manages 13 paraprofessionals and support staff at the Early Learning Center in Pendleton, Oregon, recognized a need for more professional learning opportunities specifically designed for classified staff. “Paraprofessionals are the backbone of our schools,” Lattin said. “We rely on this group to work with some of our most challenging students.”
Lattin contacted the Oregon Trail REN to coordinate an effort to provide this programming with the caveat that the learning be responsive to topics elevated by classified staff. “The Pendleton administrative team puts on a half day training just for paraprofessionals at the start of the school year,” Lattin said. “The (classified) team was asking for more training, and the REN seemed like the perfect outlet to make this happen.”
“With the assistance of Rachele Johnson and Emily Williams, we were able to build a model, complete with child care, to provide professional development in a collaborative setting for the paraprofessionals in our region,” said Lattin. Lattin facilitates and prepares content for these gatherings while REN staff secures the location and pays for refreshments and childcare. The gatherings occur after school hours at restaurants in Pendleton, and childcare is provided to participants by the Pendleton Children’s Center. While the gatherings occur in Pendleton, Classified Connection is open to all classified and support staff in the 21-district Oregon Trail Regional Educator Network region.
The first Classified Connection gathering occurred on February 7th and featured Umatilla County CARE Coordinators Maggie King and Jenni Galloway as speakers. Galloway and King offered insight on trauma-informed practice, including how to recognize and navigate triggers. They also provided an overview of the Umatilla County CARE program, its partners, and its extensive menu of services with a special emphasis on how school personnel can refer students and access resources offered via CARE. The event drew 15 participants from 3 districts.
Diana Erickson is a paraprofessional working in the Pendleton School District. Erickson was able to utilize the childcare offering at Pendleton Children’s Center, which enabled her to attend the February 7th training. “This is a wonderful program,” Erickson said. She noted the program’s peripheral impact of “helping further our community” of classified staff as they engage in “very informative” training with experts from the community.
Lattin intends to prioritize the programming’s responsiveness to need. “The participants provide feedback to determine future topics,” she said. At the conclusion of the first gathering, participants indicated a desire to receive training on ACES, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, with an emphasis on learning about how ACES impacts student learning and behavior. In response, Lattin secured IMESD Director of School Improvement, Dave Williams, to deliver ACES training at the next installment.
“I'm excited to see this take off and have hopes of keeping it going in the future,” Lattin added.
Future Classified Connection gatherings for 2024 will occur on March 13th at Rooster’s Restaurant and April 3rd at Mac’s Bar & Grill in Pendleton, both from 4-6 pm. The planning team will consider expansion of the programming for the 2024-2025 school year. See our Events Calendar for more information.
In prioritizing series-based learning designed to improve practice and accelerate professional growth for participants, Classified Connection is creating space for meaningful programming for paraprofessionals in the region.
Photo: Umatilla County CARE Supervisor, Jenni Galloway, and Umatilla County CARE Coordinator, Maggie King, speak to a group of paraprofessionals at Rooster’s Restaurant in Pendleton