Roles and responsibilities of Educational Assistants in Ontario schools: Implications for practice

In Ontario there are approximately 21,000 Educational Assistants (EAs) employed in public and Catholic schools. There is no legislation or memorandum to guide school boards in the training, hiring, or supervision of EAs. They are typically assigned to schools to provide support to the most vulnerable students with low incidence exceptionalities. It is critical that we understand who they are and the roles and responsibilities they have been given or have assumed.Through the use of an on-line survey distributed by school boards across Ontario, and a series of focus groups, data were gathered from over 2,000 EAs. Data analysis was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods and a description of the roles and responsibilities of the EAs was constructed. An ecological systems framework based on the work of Bronfenbrenner was used to describe the findings.The profile that emerged was one of a dedicated group of women (95%) who saw themselves as "in the trenches." They fulfilled many of the roles that would typically be assumed by a qualified teacher and, in general, felt undervalued and under appreciated. Access to training varied widely and working conditions appeared to be dependent, to a large extent, on school administrators. They reported there was no formal protocol for supervision or evaluation and were often left to develop and implement programmes for the students under their care.There is a clear need for this group of school workers to have professional status to ensure proper supervision and evaluation as well as access to appropriate training for their specific assignments. Further research into the overall efficacy of using EAs as the universal support for students with exceptionalities requires a great deal more examination.This research established a demographic profile of the EAs in Ontario and provided an opportunity for them to describe their roles and responsibilities. This is the first study of this nature conducted in Ontario in the last decade and has the largest sample base of any study on this topic in Canada or the United States.