As always, this study left us with many more Qs and directions for future work - I'm excited to keep digging deeper. And a huge thanks to my dissertation committee @natejones.bsky.social, @lizbettini.bsky.social, and @jengreen.bsky.social for their feedback & support with this study along the way!

So what are some implications, esp. for policy? In short, characteristics of both individuals and schools shape patterns in retention & turnover, so as policymakers try to stabilize the para workforce, they need to think about how these intersecting factors may shape policy impact & effectiveness.

Finally, using linear regression, we find that when controlling for numerous factors (e.g., race, gender, experience, salary), gender remains the most significant demographic factor in predicting workforce exit and salary is the most consistently protective factor buffering against attrition.

Are there differences by race and gender? Using survival analysis, we find differences by both race and gender, but especially gender. White and BIPOC men have similar exit rates over time, but there are distinct differences b/w White men and women, BIPOC men and women, and White and BIPOC women.

When do we lose paras over the course of their employment? Looking across a 10 year span, we find that most of those who leave (move schools, switch roles, or exit the workforce entirely) do so w/i the first three years. By year 10, about 30% of the original cohort remain employed as paraeducators.

In sum, we find that paraeducators who exit the workforce tend to do so early (w/i 3 years), race and gender matter when it comes to paraeducators’ career trajectories. We also find (perhaps unsurprisingly) that salary may be a protective factor for paraeducator retention. Let’s dig deeper…

The paraeducator workforce is large and growing, and more studies are looking more closely at their labor market patterns. But, there’s still a lot more to know. In this study, we examine paraeducators’ career paths over time and how they vary by demographic and other characteristics (e.g., salary).

Again, huge thanks to my co-authors and dissertation committee members (including @jengreen.bsky.social sky.social‬), and everyone else who helped improve this paper from start to finish! Links again:
• Working paper: https://tinyurl.com/j3rykkp9
• One-pager: https://tinyurl.com/bddtzxtp

The bottom line: schools must invest in retention of both general and special ed staff if they’re serious about improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Silos b/w general and special ed don’t reflect the interaction b/w the two in practice. Researchers should keep bridging these gaps too.