tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/teaching-assistants-8897/articlesTeaching assistants – The Conversation2022-11-17T19:02:10Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1945262022-11-17T19:02:10Z2022-11-17T19:02:10ZThe teacher shortage plan must do more to recruit and retain First Nations teachers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495286/original/file-20221115-22-qu1kuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4925%2C3227&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtneyk/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government has recently released a <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/teaching-and-school-leadership/resources/draft-national-teacher-workforce-action-plan#:%7E:text=The%20Draft%20National%20Teacher%20Workforce,Improving%20teacher%20supply">draft plan</a> to fix the teacher shortage.</p>
<p>The plan sets out ways to increase respect for the profession and ease teachers’ workloads. A key aspect of the plan also includes recruiting more First Nations teachers. This emphasis is welcome. But as it stands, the draft doesn’t include enough detail about how we achieve this. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/jason-clare-has-a-draft-plan-to-fix-the-teacher-shortage-what-needs-to-stay-and-what-should-change-193834">Jason Clare has a draft plan to fix the teacher shortage. What needs to stay and what should change?</a>
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<h2>We need more First Nations teachers</h2>
<p>First Nations teachers are under-represented in Australian schools. As of 2016 <a href="https://www.acde.edu.au/acde-analysis-of-2016-census-statistics-of-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-teachers-and-students/">6.2%</a> of Australian school students identified as First Nations, while <a href="https://www.acde.edu.au/acde-analysis-of-2016-census-statistics-of-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-teachers-and-students/">just 2%</a> of the teaching workforce identified as First Nations. </p>
<p>We know First Nations cultures <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/22/indigenous-australians-know-were-the-oldest-living-culture-its-in-our-dreamtime">are the oldest</a> continuous cultures in the world. We also know culture is not innate. We are born into culture, not with it. </p>
<p>So First Nations peoples have the oldest teaching and learning techniques and knowledges in the world. This has the potential to benefit all students. Recruiting and retaining First Nations teachers is crucial to this becoming a reality.</p>
<h2>What’s in the plan?</h2>
<p>The plan includes a number of specific measures designed to recruit more First Nations people into teaching degrees and classrooms. This includes: </p>
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<li><p>A$10 million for a national campaign to increase respect for teachers, with a focus on First Nations teachers</p></li>
<li><p>bursaries of up to $40,000 to study teaching, again with a focus on First Nations students</p></li>
<li><p>a new national First Nations teachers’ strategy to apply from 2024. This will be co-designed by the federal government and First Nations education organisations</p></li>
<li><p>as part of this, $14.1 million for teaching First Nations languages in schools. This will give potential First Nations teachers exposure to the classroom and potentially provide a pathway for more First Nations teachers.</p></li>
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<h2>More detail needed</h2>
<p>But so far, there is limited detail about how these actions or measures will lead to increasing teacher numbers. We welcome the investment in First Nations languages in schools, but there are many barriers to growing a First Nations teacher workforce. </p>
<p>According to the 2022 <a href="https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/burney/2022/closing-gap-annual-data-compilation-report-2022">Closing the Gap report</a>, 63% of Indigenous Australians aged 20 to 24 had finished year 12. This compares with 88.5% of non-Indigenous Australians in that age group. </p>
<p>Research has <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/10916421.pdf">identified</a> Indigenous students doing teaching degrees at university then face racism, a lack of financial support, inflexible structures of university, limited access to technology, and isolation. </p>
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<img alt="Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags flying in front of Parliament House in Canberra." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495291/original/file-20221115-12-8t590v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Indigenous Australians do not complete high school at the same rate as non-Indigenous Australians.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
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<p>When First Nations teachers enter the profession, they often face <a href="https://indigenousx.com.au/blak-representation-in-schools-is-imperative/">overwhelming demands</a>. It is not uncommon for First Nations teachers to be seen by non-Indigenous colleagues as the expert in everything Indigenous in a school. </p>
<p>So, if we are going to get <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-australia-support-more-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-teachers-178522">more First Nations people teaching in schools</a>, we first need to ensure they were successful as a school student. Then we need to help them find a pathway through teacher education at university and then ensure it is worth staying in the profession, once they make it into classrooms. </p>
<h2>Decolonising classrooms</h2>
<p>Another element missing from the plan is an agenda to <a href="https://theconversation.com/decolonising-classrooms-could-help-keep-first-nations-kids-in-school-and-away-from-police-188067">decolonise classrooms</a>. This requires teachers and schools to change their approaches to include First Nations contexts across all aspects of teaching and learning.</p>
<p>This means everything from what is taught to the way it is taught and the spaces they are taught in. This means including knowledge of First Nations cultures in the curriculum, using First Nations ways of teaching, Aboriginal flags and artworks on display, dedicated collections in school libraries, and spaces that allow for on-Country learning. It also needs to involve Elders and other community members in our schools. </p>
<p>Without these changes, schools themselves become barriers to First Nations teachers wanting to remain in the profession.</p>
<h2>Two pathways into the profession</h2>
<p>Broadly speaking there are two pathways for First Nations people into teaching - through teaching assistant jobs or through university. </p>
<p>In many remote and rural schools, there is a strong workforce of First Nations teacher assistants. Programs to help Indigenous teaching assistants into teaching degrees have <a href="https://www.fobl.net.au/index.php/au-MU/history/71-government-support-for-nt-bilingual-education-after-1950-a-longer-timeline">suffered from funding cuts</a>, although the Northern Territory government, has recently <a href="https://www.teachintheterritory.nt.gov.au/teaching-territory/aboriginal-educator-workforce-initiatives">announced</a> it will increase professional development opportunities for remote Aboriginal teacher education. This includes school-based traineeships, grants and mentoring.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/once-students-knew-their-identity-they-excelled-how-to-talk-about-excellence-in-indigenous-education-193394">'Once students knew their identity, they excelled': how to talk about excellence in Indigenous education</a>
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<p>The federal government’s draft plan also touches on this – mentioning Queensland’s plan to build pathways for First Nations teacher assistants and classroom teachers, by talking to TAFEs and universities. There is also the commitment to a First Nations teachers’ strategy, and initiatives to build the cultural capabilities of the non-Indigenous teacher workforce. </p>
<p>This is a start, but it lacks detail and a sense of national cohesion. </p>
<p>And there is little detail about how First Nations school leavers – who mainly come from urban areas – can be encouraged to enter teaching degrees at university. </p>
<h2>Bipartisanship is key</h2>
<p>Lessons from <a href="https://www.edutech.com.au/matsiti/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MATSITI-2016-Final-Report-1.0.pdf">past reviews</a> highlight the merits of developing long-term, First Nations-led strategies and programs that provide real support for First Nations teachers. </p>
<p>They also note the importance of listening to, acting on and resourcing initiatives controlled by First Nations peoples. Consistency is vital for success. Bipartisanship is needed across education and Indigenous policy, so programs can be developed without the threat of funding being withdrawn if there is a change of government. </p>
<p>This is a crucial moment for Australia’s education system. The teacher shortage could lead to current and future generations missing out on the quality education they need. </p>
<p>We welcome the investment in First Nations teachers. But we also fear this won’t have the necessary impact unless there is system-wide reform and decolonisation that supports the recruitment, retention, and engagement of First Nations teachers – the oldest teachers in the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194526/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A key aspect of Education Minister Jason Clare’s draft plan is recruiting more First Nations teachers. But it is missing details and an emphasis on decolonising schools.Aleryk Fricker, Lecturer, Indigenous Education, Deakin UniversityGlenn Auld, Senior lecturer in Education, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1879182022-08-07T20:42:45Z2022-08-07T20:42:45ZAustralia spends $5 billion a year on teaching assistants in schools but we don’t know what they do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476855/original/file-20220801-20-i3nznw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C0%2C5152%2C3445&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterestock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This Friday, state and federal education ministers <a href="https://ministers.education.gov.au/clare/education-ministers-focus-teacher-shortage">will meet</a> for the first time since the federal election. </p>
<p>The stakes are high. Ministers meet as <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-education-minister-jason-clare-can-fix-the-teacher-shortage-crisis-but-not-with-labors-election-plan-184321">teacher shortages</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-like-banging-our-heads-against-the-wall-why-a-move-to-outsource-lesson-planning-has-nsw-teachers-hopping-mad-188081">workload pressures</a> are dominating education headlines and <a href="https://theconversation.com/growing-numbers-of-unqualified-teachers-are-being-sent-into-classrooms-this-is-not-the-way-to-fix-the-teacher-shortage-186379">severely stressing schools</a>. We need to address teacher supply concerns and better support the teachers who are already in schools.</p>
<p>But as our new research shows, we can’t just focus on teachers. We also need to look at teaching assistants, who often fly under the radar, but represent a significant part of the workforce.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/growing-numbers-of-unqualified-teachers-are-being-sent-into-classrooms-this-is-not-the-way-to-fix-the-teacher-shortage-186379">Growing numbers of unqualified teachers are being sent into classrooms – this is not the way to 'fix' the teacher shortage</a>
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<h2>Who are teaching assistants?</h2>
<p>Teaching assistants work across all school sectors – government, independent and Catholic.</p>
<p>They can do a variety of tasks, from helping teachers prepare lessons and delivering targeted literacy and numeracy support to maintaining student records and supporting students with additional intellectual, physical or behavioural needs. </p>
<p>Teaching assistants are generally required to have a <a href="https://www.itac.edu.au/teachers-aides-qualifications">certificate III or IV</a> in school-based education support (or similar), which takes between six to 12 months to complete and can be done at TAFE or other registered training organisations. Their titles vary by state and territory and include education aides, integration aides, school learning support officers or school services officers.</p>
<p>They are <a href="https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/occupation-profile/education-aides?occupationCode=4221">mostly female</a>, work part-time, and are typically in their mid-40s. </p>
<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>Our new analysis, based on Australia Bureau of Statistics data, shows Australia spends more than A$5 billion on teaching assistants each year. This is about about 8% of recurrent school expenditure. </p>
<p>Today there are more than 105,000 teaching assistants working in classrooms across the country. This is almost a four-fold increase since since 1990 and is well above the increase in students and teachers over that period.</p>
<iframe src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/10821923/embed" title="Interactive or visual content" class="flourish-embed-iframe" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%;height:600px;" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
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<p>It’s not clear why teaching assistant numbers have expanded so rapidly. However, a possible reason could be they have been hired to help with increasing numbers of students with additional needs in mainstream schools. Along with this, there has been greater school autonomy in recruitment and increased administrative loads. </p>
<h2>What do they do?</h2>
<p>We know teaching assistants are permitted to perform a wide variety of tasks, but we don’t know exactly which tasks they are given, or how tasks are being carried out. Governments have not paid close attention to their work. </p>
<p>So, we know what teaching assistants do in theory, but very little about what they do in practice. </p>
<p>And we need to make sure we are using them well. They can have huge benefits. But when used poorly, through no fault of their own, they can slow down student learning. </p>
<h2>The upsides of teaching assistants</h2>
<p>The evidence shows teaching assistants can certainly help and be a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/0162373721990361">cost-effective</a> way to <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/08/24/teacher-assistants-are-needed-now-more-than-ever/">ensure</a> students <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jeea/article-abstract/18/1/469/5232116">catch-up</a>.</p>
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<div style="width:100%!;margin-top:4px!important;text-align:right!important;"><a class="flourish-credit" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/10822050/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/10822050" target="_top"><img alt="Made with Flourish" src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg"> </a></div>
<p>Targeted literacy and numeracy interventions can see teaching assistants help struggling students achieve an extra <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/27c4f028ce3e4f69/Grattan%20reports/Teaching%20assistants/Briefing%20packs/Teaching%20Assistant%20Interventions%20%7C%20EEF%20(educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)">four months</a> of learning over the course of a year. </p>
<p>Some studies show teaching assistants can also achieve similar <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED597166">results</a> to <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED610594">teachers</a> when delivering <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effective-Reading-Programs-for-Secondary-Students-Baye-Lake/0a5be20323425e57949ba0ec0d413d033e2c50a6">these targeted interventions</a>, especially in literacy, provided the interventions are well structured.</p>
<p>Beyond academic learning, teaching assistants can chase permission slips, keep records, coordinate extra-curricular activities, or help with yard duty. This <a href="https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/teaching-assistants/TA_Guidance_Report_MakingBestUseOfTeachingAssistants-Printable_2021-11-02-162019_wsqd.pdf?v=1635870019">can</a> free up teachers to focus on planning, assessment, and teaching in class. </p>
<h2>We know teachers need more support</h2>
<p>Australia’s teachers are crying out for more time to teach. A 2021 Grattan Institute <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/making-time-for-great-teaching-how-better-government-policy-can-help/">survey</a> of 5,000 Australian teachers found that around nine in ten teachers say they “always” or “frequently” do not get enough time to prepare for effective teaching, or to effectively plan their lessons. </p>
<p>Teachers we surveyed estimated they could save an extra two hours a week to focus on teaching if non-teaching staff took on their extra-curricular activities, such as supervising sports and student clubs, or doing yard duty. </p>
<h2>The potential risks</h2>
<p>Alongside the benefits, we also need to understand the dangers if teaching assistants are not use intelligently.</p>
<p>The United Kingdom invested heavily in teaching assistants in the early 2000s, but this did not boost student learning. Teaching assistants were often given poorly structured tasks, working primarily with struggling students. This cut the amount of time these students spent with their teacher and lead to <a href="https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/eef-guidance-reports/teaching-assistants/TA_Guidance_Report_MakingBestUseOfTeachingAssistants-Printable_2021-11-02-162019_wsqd.pdf?v=1635870019">worse academic results</a>. These risks can be avoided with better planning and training.</p>
<p>Currently, we don’t know enough about how teaching assistants are used in Australia, but there are some worrying signs. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603116.2016.1145260?journalCode=tied20">2016 study</a> of four schools in the ACT found students with a learning difficulty or disability were primarily receiving instruction from a teaching assistant, and spending less time with their teacher. </p>
<h2>What should happen next</h2>
<p>Education ministers and Catholic and independent school leaders need to ensure Australian students are getting the most from our large teaching assistant workforce. </p>
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<img alt="Education Minister Jason Clare speaks in federal parliament." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476863/original/file-20220801-27181-hb8ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Education Minister Jason Clare will meet with this state and territory education colleagues in Canberra on Friday.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
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<p>First, governments should investigate how teaching assistants are being deployed in schools today – exactly how they work with teachers and students, and what tasks they are (or are not) being given. </p>
<p>Second, governments should fund pilot programs to evaluate the best ways for teaching assistants to support teachers and students. We need to identify what works best, and then spread that practice across all schools. </p>
<p>Some states and territories have done more on this issue than others. The NSW government’s <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/new-support-staff-to-lighten-teacher-workload">recent commitment</a> to trial new administrative staff in schools, including a detailed study of which staff members are best placed to do different tasks, is a step in the right direction. </p>
<p>So, teaching assistants should be on the agenda at Friday’s meeting. And any new commitments could go into the next <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-schools-package/national-school-reform-agreement">National Schools Reform Agreement</a> – which sets out nationally agreed changes for the next five years – due to be signed in late 2023.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187918/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is a board director of two not-for-profit organisations, The Song Room which provides arts learning in disadvantaged schools and The Ochre Foundation which provides free curriculum resources across Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Jordana Hunter is the Director of the Education Program at the Grattan Institute, an independent, not-for-profit think tank. Grattan received funding from the Origin Energy Foundation to support Grattan's Making Time for Great Teaching report series. </span></em></p>New Grattan Institute analysis shows there are more than 100,000 teaching assistants in classrooms across the country.Julie Sonnemann, Principal Advisor Education, Grattan InstituteJordana Hunter, School Education Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/492692015-11-09T11:06:19Z2015-11-09T11:06:19ZTeaching assistants like me? Here’s what could change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100954/original/image-20151105-16235-5cva2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What difference can a teaching assistant make?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vandycft/8244804276/in/photolist-dyyM4S-dytjqK-dytgkt-dytgG4-dytmat-dytor6-dyyK3W-dyyND5-dyth7V-dytmdz-dytifB-dytjDB-dyyL47-838YMR-8SNxMK-83962x-773HGg-6TDV5Y-83caBd-cNhBGm-aFGxuz-dytezH-83c9sE-cNhx9A-amWUfN-cNhx13-5TjPkt-ry3iPY-riJHAN-rh1d2g-rh1owK-riLrFj-riS9VT-riLjnb-rAdKro-rAeb62-qDxgqX-5cDf39-5gTRUH-4AqsfL-4Aqs5s-4s83fo-uG6oy-cNhBwb-cNhDBb-cNhBmf-cNhyis-cNhCyy-cNhCHu-cNhCSo">https://www.flickr.com/photos/vandycft/</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From 1995 to 2012, the rate of college completion in the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/Education-at-a-Glance-2014">United States has steadily fallen</a> relative to other developed countries. Over this short period of time, the US went from having the highest young-adult college completion rate among OECD countries to 19th. </p>
<p>Underlining these college completion rates are <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED468848.pdf">prominent racial gaps</a>. In 2009, <a href="http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2009/tables.html">over 50% of Asian adults</a> aged 25 and older held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to fewer than 20% of African-Americans and Hispanics.</p>
<p>A natural question to ask is, once students enter college, what factors determine the likelihood they succeed and graduate? </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w21568">study</a> I conducted with coauthors <a href="http://www.nes.ru/en/people/catalog/c/douglas-campbell">Doug Campbell</a> from the New Economic School in Moscow and <a href="http://www.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/scarrell/">Scott Carrell</a> from University of California, Davis, shows the race of teaching assistants (TAs) play can play an important role in academic outcomes.</p>
<h2>The influence of TAs</h2>
<p>Several prior studies have presented evidence on various factors that could influence undergraduate success, including <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/653808">professor quality</a>, <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w14959.pdf">gender</a> and <a href="http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/aer.104.8.2567">race</a>, <a href="epa.sagepub.com/content/36/1/3.abstract">coaching and advising</a>, and <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.2.2.95">academic probation</a>.</p>
<p>However, one glaring omission has been teaching assistants (TAs), who <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/2009/may/oes259041.htm">account for nearly 15%</a> of the total employment of post secondary teachers in the US annually. </p>
<p>TAs are graduate students employed by a university who perform various duties in the course while under the supervision of a professor or lecturer. Many of these duties, such as hosting small weekly discussion sections, holding office hours, tutoring and grading assignments, are likely to impact student success in the course.</p>
<p>TA-student relationships are unique in that they are more likely to be a peer-based interaction, since the typical age gap between undergraduates and TAs is relatively small. Additionally, with <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775707000271">class sizes</a> and <a href="http://ctf-fce.ca/Research-Library/pb_-_class_size.pdf">student-professor ratios</a> increasing in the US, TAs are likely to play an increasingly important role in the US post-secondary education system.</p>
<h2>What happens when students and TAs share a race?</h2>
<p>Undergraduate and graduate programs in the US have been experiencing a dramatic shift in student racial composition for the past 40 years: In 1976, 82% of students enrolled in undergraduate programs in the US were white, compared to only 57% in 2013. A similar pattern can be observed in post-baccalaureate programs, where the <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d14/tables/dt14_306.10.asp">fraction of nonwhite students</a> grew by 180% from 1976 to 2013.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100955/original/image-20151105-16258-ji1jm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students do better when they have a TA of a similar race.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanfordedtech/2090925179/in/photolist-4bLxd8-7RCuNb-avQTpS-7RCwhA-7RCx3A-7RCyiN-7RzhrF-7RCxfd-7RCw5f-7RzhgB-7RzgCF-7RCxty-7RyZKx-7Rz1Cn-7RChvN-7RCgbS-7Rz1vX-7RCfXh-7Rz2DP-7Rz1ST-7RCghN-7RCgms-7RChdL-7RzhSa-7Rz1mi-7Rz1Xa-7RCwUY-7Rzian-7RCh73-7RyZWi-7RChB1-7RCgPy-7RChpW-7RChj9-7RCgwj-7RCgKo-7RCwFS-7RCw9j-7RzgjF-7Rzg7t-7Rzf1Z-7RzgSX-7RzfVt-7RzfCr-7RzgWv-7RCuBC-7RzfwZ-7RCv33-7RzfgH-7RCvjC">https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanfordedtech/</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To investigate the importance of TA race, we collected student administrative data from a racially diverse public university in California, coupled with TA assignment data from the university’s Department of Economics.</p>
<p>We found that students received better grades in classes taken with TAs who were of a similar race. Students were also more likely to attend their TAs’ optional discussion sections and office hours when the TA was of a similar race, providing direct evidence of students responding to similarly raced TAs. </p>
<p>The results are more prominent in classes where TAs had been given a copy of the exam prior to the exam date. We consider this to be evidence of “teaching to the exam,” where TAs adjust their lesson plans to divulge information that is more relevant to the exam. Consequently, students who visit their TAs are better prepared for the exam.</p>
<p>We also found racial interaction effects to be the strongest in classes which had no multiple choice on the exams. This result could stem from several possible explanations: </p>
<p>First, critical thinking is typically a key component to success on essay-based questions. Critical thinking skills may be fostered in settings where students discuss and ask questions about the course material, such as in TA discussion sections and office hours. </p>
<p>The second explanation suggests that TAs are (subconsciously) responding to students of similar race through grading. Classes with no multiple choice exams are classes where TAs have to exercise more subjective judgments when grading, and students of specific races may be more likely to answer non-multiple choice questions in a manner that TAs of similar race favor.</p>
<h2>Discussion of mechanisms</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103198913737">Research</a> suggests that equally skilled students of different races may perform differently due to the students’ self-belief about their ability to succeed. We believe these gaps may be muted (or exacerbated) by the TA’s race. </p>
<p>Another way in which the TA’s race could exercise influence is through a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537109000748">“match quality effect</a>.” TAs of different races may have, on average, particular teaching styles or capabilities that could be better suited to students of similar race. </p>
<p>This channel includes language matching, where, all else equal, a student learns more if particular material is taught in the student’s native language. Students who share the same race as their TAs are more likely to share the same native language.</p>
<p>Finally, TAs may exhibit bias with respect to how they treat, consciously or subconsciously, students of a similar race. </p>
<p>Overall, students perform better when taking classes with TAs with similar race. Many factors, such as differences in student attendance or grading, could be driving these results.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lester Lusher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Can the race of a teaching assistant have an impact on student grades?Lester Lusher, PhD Student, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/381202015-02-27T06:30:03Z2015-02-27T06:30:03ZThe best ways to work with teaching assistants<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/73188/original/image-20150226-1774-jegfmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Make the most of the extra pair of hands. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Volt Collection via Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the last five years, schools in England have been granted an unprecedented level of freedom. An increasing number of state schools now decide for themselves which children are admitted, the curriculum they follow, who to appoint to teach it, and how much they will be paid.</p>
<p>The professional architecture governing teachers’ qualifications and training, promotion, pay, and conditions of work has been loosened in ways that will already be familiar to England’s growing army of teaching assistants. There has been a trebling in the number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants in England since 2000, from 79,000 to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013">243,700 in 2013</a>. Schools now spend around £4.4 billion a year on teaching assistants. </p>
<h2>Unclear role</h2>
<p>About 25 years ago, headteachers began offering parent-helpers paid roles as teaching assistants. This role tended to be held by women with few or no formal qualifications, and their contracted hours of work were in line with the school day. Though there are <a href="http://samples.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/9781136518430_sample_518110.pdf">many more graduates</a> working as teaching assistants today, recruitment and appointment practices still persist that no longer serve the needs of schools.</p>
<p>There has never been agreement on entry qualifications for teaching assistants, nor have there been consistently applied professional standards or a national pay and conditions framework. The most recent effort to achieve the latter was halted because, as the former secretary of state for education Michael Gove <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/written-ministerial-statement-by-michael-gove-on-the-abolition-of-the-school-support-staff-negotiating-body-sssnb">put it</a> in 2010, it did not “fit well with the coalition government’s priorities for greater deregulation of the pay and conditions arrangements for the school workforce”.</p>
<p>As for the actual role itself, what teaching assistants do in classrooms has historically been somewhat ill-defined. Well-meaning attempts by government to clarify their role, such as the <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC0QFjAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Flocal.teachers.org.uk%2Ftemplates%2Fasset-relay.cfm%3FfrmAssetFileID%3D3696&ei=QKTpVKfoGoTWavfpgbAG&usg=AFQjCNH6YHd9fkcTAYohaWHnXhyPesSj6A&bvm=bv.86475890,d.d24">“specified work”</a> teaching assistants can do “under the supervision of a teacher”, ran into trouble because there is no one-size-fits-all solution.</p>
<p>Yet the absence of a shared organisational vision leads to variation and inconsistencies in how effectively teachers deploy teaching assistants within the same school. And a lack of purpose gives no focus to training arranged for individual teaching assistants. </p>
<p>Top-down edicts setting out what teaching assistants should and shouldn’t do have been difficult to achieve – and in any case, may be undesirable. But <em>laissez-faire</em> arrangements, where schools are encouraged to find local solutions to local problems, have also been problematic because the issue is so open-ended.</p>
<h2>No replacement for teachers</h2>
<p>Into this vacuum will soon arrive the Department for Education’s new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/developing-a-new-set-of-standards-for-teaching-assistants">professional standards for teaching assistants</a>. My colleague Peter Blatchford and I have co-authored practical guidance with <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/iee/staff/jsharples.htm">Jonathan Sharples</a> at the <a href="http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/">Education Endowment Foundation</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.maximisingtas.co.uk/eef-guidance.php">Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants</a> has been written to help school leaders make sense of, and act on, the research evidence about the impact of teaching assistants. </p>
<p>We have outlined a number of key recommendations. These include that teaching assistants should not be used as an informal teaching resource for struggling pupils. Teaching assistants should also add value to the teacher, rather than replace them. This means breaking away from a model in which assistants are assigned to a couple of pupils for long periods. Rather, it would be a better option if the teacher and assistant worked with separate groups and then swapped the next day. </p>
<p>Teaching assistants also need to have enough preparation time before they go into a classroom, including better liaison with teachers. </p>
<p>Our <a href="http://maximisingtas.co.uk/research.php">extensive research</a> and <a href="http://maximisingtas.co.uk/services/mita-programme.php">on-going work with schools</a> shows that making best use of teaching assistants is a school leadership issue. School leaders need to put pupils’ needs at the heart of a review of current practice and to think through ways of strategically deploying teaching assistants across the school to ensure that pupils receive the best possible educational experience.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38120/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Webster does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The army of teaching assistants working in English schools still have an unclear role in the classroom.Rob Webster, Research Officer, Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.