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CO-STARS: Strengthening Teacher–Paraprofessional Collaboration in Special Education
Critical Need:
Special education teachers rarely work alone—paraprofessionals are essential partners in supporting students with complex academic, behavioral, and emotional needs. Yet most teacher–paraprofessional teams receive little training on how to collaborate effectively. When communication breaks down or roles are unclear, it can increase teacher stress, weaken classroom support systems, and contribute to teacher burnout and attrition. Researchers have conservatively estimated that schools in the United States spend approximately $2.5 billion per year to replace teachers who have left education, and the annual attrition rate for special education teachers is twice the rate of general education teachers.
How the Need Will Be Addressed:
Research shows that strong working relationships between teachers and paraprofessionals are critical for delivering consistent academic, behavioral, and emotional support to students with disabilities. When teams communicate clearly, share expectations, and work toward common goals, students benefit—and teachers are more likely to remain in the profession.
Project Purpose:
CO-STARS addresses this gap by providing practical, accessible professional development for special education teacher–paraprofessional pairs. Through structured sessions, teams will learn the foundations of effective collaboration and practice simple routines for communication, planning, and coordinated instruction that can immediately improve classroom practice.
Project Impact:
By strengthening collaboration within teacher–paraprofessional teams, CO-STARS aims to improve classroom support for students with disabilities while also enhancing teachers’ working conditions—an important factor in building a more stable, effective special education workforce.
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