Paraeducator Assistant
Working prototypeA retrieval-based assistant that answers paraeducators' everyday classroom questions from a curated, citable knowledge base.
Sample question
How do I help a student stay on task without standing over them?
Try fading your prompts. Start close, then increase your distance and wait time as the student succeeds, so the support shifts gradually from you to the student.
Source shown with every answerWhy I built it
My thesis kept returning to one finding. Paraeducators are often given fragmented training, or none, even though they spend the most time with the students who need the most support. I wanted to test whether a grounded assistant could put trustworthy, practical guidance within reach in the moment it is needed.
How it works
It answers only from a curated knowledge base of vetted sources on inclusive and special education practice, and it shows the source behind each answer so it can be checked. When the knowledge base does not cover a question, it says so rather than guessing.
What it does not do
It supports judgment, it does not replace it. The assistant offers a starting point, not a decision. What happens with a student stays with the educator and the team who know that student.
Who is a paraeducator?
A paraeducator is a school staff member who supports students under the supervision of a certificated teacher. The California Department of Education includes special education explicitly in this role, and in inclusive and special education classrooms paraeducators often work most closely with the students who need the most support, assisting with instruction, behavior, and the ordinary business of the school day.
The title varies by district. The same person may be called a paraprofessional, an instructional aide, a teacher's aide, a classroom assistant, or simply a para, and federal law uses paraprofessional. My research focuses on paraeducators in inclusive and special education settings, whatever their local title.