Our Mission

Students

Students serve as the focal point for the work that OPEPP and the partnering districts accomplish. Positive student outcomes are a direct reflection of how a district lifts up their paraprofessionals and prioritizes the preparation supports they offer them. Paraprofessionals directly support student success: everything comes back to the student.

Family and Peer Supports

Paraprofessional work is enriched when paraprofessionals are viewed as vital educational team members. This allows them to become liaisons, who are able to bridge relationships that happen within an inclusive setting. Paraprofessionals are essential when they work collaboratively and communicate with all educational team members, especially the students’ families.

Paraprofessionals

Through OPEPP partnerships, site coordination, and team building that comes with these supports, paraprofessionals are offered a seat at the table as one of the essential roles in the district. The processes involved with partnerships ensure that paraprofessionals’ voices are heard. They are encouraged to add meaning and validity to the work the district does to support students within the school.

Educators and Service Providers

OPEPP encourages partnering districts to ensure that the team make-up includes a variety of educators (general and special educators, as well as related service providers), who value and lift up the work of paraprofessionals in their schools. This kind of shared and collaborative professional work that happens as part of the OPEPP process has been linked to improved childhood and school outcomes (Grissom et al., 2021, p. 58). Team members feel valued and strong relationships are formed that results in solid programming for students in the classroom.

Administrators

When school and district level administrators lift paraprofessional preparation as a priority, they create opportunities for paraprofessionals to have voice, choice, purpose, and preparation that validates their contributions to the school. This support encourages paraprofessional retention and recruitment to build solid relationships and a stronger district. As an organization, OPEPP encourages district leadership to lend their support as the district partners to enhance their paraprofessional preparation. A supportive leader nurtures all members of the organization, including the children in the school. Supportive leaders build others’ capacity along the way (Louis, Murphy, and Smylie 2016; Grissom et al., 2021). This leads to a transformational process that improves teaching, learning, and inclusive education. We know that this work can positively change childhood outcomes (Grissom et al., 2021).

Consultants

OPEPP Consultants can build a district’s capacity to serve and support paraprofessional preparation by helping facilitate the action planning process. This process encourages conversations, leads to well-designed goals, and effective action steps to meet those established goals.

OPEPP

The OPEPP organization partners with districts and supports them through a trained and knowledgeable consultant, holding Spring and Fall academies, and through a collection of resources from researchers who study the work of paraprofessionals. OPEPP also provides and manages professional development modules and workshops that are open-access opportunities for paraprofessionals and the educational team members who support them.

Working to Strengthen Paraprofessional Preparation and Development Across Ohio

OPEPP works to support systems that build paraprofessionals’ skills and knowledge. Using a partnership model, we engage schools, districts, and regional providers through online learning opportunities and professional development. OPEPP’s delivery of training and technical assistance helps districts acknowledge and develop the capacity of paraprofessionals, which in turn supports the improvement of teaching and learning for each student. OPEPP is coordinated through the University of Cincinnati’s Systems Development & Improvement Center (UC SDI), and is located in Columbus, OH.

OPEPP District Partnership

A district partnership with the Ohio Partnership for Excellence in Paraprofessional Preparation (OPEPP) leverages districts’ intentions to provide high-quality instruction to all students as the motive for improving staffing patterns and educational practices. Participation in OPEPP is voluntary, but partner districts are expected to actively engage in OPEPP’s professional development and technical assistance activities for three years. Like many commitments, an OPEPP partnership may mean a district needs to change its routines and dedicate additional time and resources to build the capacity of all personnel in order to create inclusive educational settings that meet the needs of all learners. This document provides an overview of the goals and expectations of OPEPP district partners who are committed to making incremental changes to improve opportunities and outcomes for each student.

OPEPP GOALS

1. To improve the capacity of instructional teams by mobilizing and coordinating all personnel, including paraprofessionals
2. To improve district, school, and teacher use of paraprofessional services to advance learning for all students
3. To provide guidance and supports to districts in helping build the professional knowledge and skills of teachers for their work with paraprofessional colleagues
4. To provide guidance and supports to districts in helping build the knowledge and skills of paraprofessionals
5. To help districts and schools deploy staffing arrangements that fit with best practices while also addressing local needs
6. To inform state-level policies and actions to promote the use of inclusive service delivery models that support the learning of all students

PARTNER DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS

1. Development of an OPEPP District Team: Districts identify an employee to serve as the district’s OPEPP site coordinator. Districts establish an OPEPP team of five to 10 members who engage in shared leadership with the OPEPP site coordinator to complete OPEPP activities.
2. Completion of the OPEPP District Action Planning Process: Districts complete a needs assessment and use the information to identify a priority goal(s). Districts create a detailed strategic action plan informed by the needs assessment to prioritize areas of improvement and identify action steps to achieve district-identified goals.
3. Implementation of the Action Plan, Including Participation in Relevant Professional Development: Districts follow the steps outlined in their action plan to actualize their district-identified goals. When needed, districts identify professional learning to help achieve their goals. Districts create bi-annual progress reports that explain their efforts and outline preliminary outcomes related to their action plan.
4. Participation in Regular OPEPP Team Meetings: OPEPP district teams meet at least monthly with their OPEPP consultant to work on their action steps, discuss problems and potential solutions, and obtain support and guidance from team members and the OPEPP consultant to make progress toward the district’s goals. 
5. Participation in OPEPP Academies: OPEPP offers three academies each year. In early September, district site coordinators attend a virtual fall pre-academy. In late September and late spring (April/May) multiple district team members and other relevant personnel attend the in-person Fall and Spring academies.

OPEPP Consultant: Roles and Responsibilities

1. Active Team Member: Meet with other consultants, OPEPP project staff, and the OPEPP evaluation team to discuss OPEPP resources and offerings to continuously improve OPEPP activities and outcomes.
2. District Team Builder & Process Specialist: Support districts to complete data collection activities and develop an action plan that is based on each district’s needs and goals. Support district personnel to lead their teams toward more effective and inclusive practices.
3. Observer & Resource Linker: Observe partner district team meetings to understand current practices. Identify effective practices that can be expanded and problem areas that can be improved. Provide the district with support and resources as appropriate.
4. Joint Problem Solver: Provide support, encouragement, and recommendations to districts as they work through challenges. Help districts make timely progress through problem-solving processes.
5. Reflective Educator: Create reports and presentations that demonstrate the work with partner districts and why suggestions have been made for a specific course of action. Bring these to team meetings for reflection, discussion, and skill building.

Site Coordinator: Roles and Responsibilities

1. Change Leader: Guide the vision and priorities of the OPEPP work. Ground the team’s work in the district’s core values and in the systemic changes that are occurring in the district. 
2. Delegator and Moderator: Scaffold the participation of team members and facilitate team meetings. Lead the pace of meetings and ensure everyone has the same opportunity to participate. Support the team in coming to consensus and making a plan for the work. Delegate responsibilities across team members and create a timeline for achieving project goals and objectives.
3. Team Coordinator: The team site coordinator(s) lead tasks that take care of OPEPP logistics, such as securing the location for team meetings, sending announcements and invitations to team members, sending meeting agendas and materials to all team members in advance, coordinating with your OPEPP consultant and the OPEPP staff. 
4. Recipient of Ideas: Provide opportunities for team members to share their perspectives. Be open to other team members’ ideas and willing to hear and consider their diverse perspectives. Bring all ideas to team meetings and have a meaningful discussion to facilitate final decision making. 
5. Final Decision Maker: Make final decisions that ensure closure and completion of team tasks. Make strategically important decisions based on time constraints, resources available, team discussions, the amount and type of information available, and the number of stakeholders.