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392
HICHARI)
W.
STEPHENSON
for education of pupil personnel services is under consideration in the form of a
psychology course in Child Development and Interpersonal Relations at the New
School by Dr. Pollaczek.
It
is hoped that the New Canaan school system will be
able to work out
a
cooperative program with
a
college or university whereby ail
“earned degree” could be achieved over a period of years while working and learning
on-the-job under clinical professors and master teachers, with New Canaan schools
serving as a laboratory extension of the university. Such a program would provide
an opportunity for mothers in the CIP program who are not able to return to college
because
of
present family responsibilities and because of the nature of standard
college requirements. This avenue would also enable
a
small system like New
Canaan to compete effectively with large school systems that can offer more money,
challenge, and opportunity to attract the small supply of qualified professionals.
It
would simultaneously allow New Canaan
to
extend the effectiveness of the
present Special Services and teaching staff and to tap valuable community resources.
Since talented teachers and Special Services personnel like to go where things are
happening, it is possible that development of this type
of
program would draw even
more outstanding teachers and Special Services personnel to New Canaan’s public
schools.
THE SPECIAL SERVICES AIDE
IN
THE SCHOOLS:
A NEW APPROACH TO AN OLD PROBLEM
STUART
M.
LOSEN’
New
Canaan (Cmn.)
Public
Schools
The idea of using paraprofessional aides in the public schools has crested some-
what of a controversy in educational and psychological circles. Many teachers are
concerned about the widespread employment of instructional or classroom aides
because
of
the danger
of
aides being misused or being hired to fill positions that
should require teacher’s qualifications. Some teachers, it would seem, would also
prefer to restrict aide functioning to routine, often clerical duties, rather than risk
role confusion or public questioning about their own classroom functioning. Ap-
parently, many school psychologists, for some of the same reasons, seriously question
the merit of using aides
as
psychological assistants, while others, including our staff
in New Canaan, find them extremely helpful. Still others, including a number who
reacted to the series
of
papers on aides presented at the
1969
American Psychological
Association Convention in Washington, argue that the need for aides is
so
great that
less restricted use
of
their talent should be encouraged.
This controversy among professionals is unfortunate. There are growing de-
mands upon professionals’ time to serve increasing numbers of children identified
as needing special help. There is not nearly enough professional time to go around,
and there are children who are in need.
I
therefore find myself reacting with amaze-
lPsychologist/Coordinator
of
Special Services.