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Educational aid vs para educator

The differences between educational aids and para educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a para educator has an average salary of $31,394, which is higher than the $29,988 average annual salary of an educational aid.

The top three skills for an educational aid include behavior management, CPR and instructional materials. The most important skills for a para educator are behavioral issues, student performance, and IEP.

Educational aid vs para educator overview

Educational AidPara Educator
Yearly salary$29,988$31,394
Hourly rate$14.42$15.09
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs71,04356,897
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does an educational aid do?

An educational aide is needed to thoroughly manage and assess children's development and learning. They help teachers monitor students' development and class standing. They provide hands-on tutoring to children in need of additional study courses. They also help teachers develop lesson plans, assist with distributing handouts, and collect homework. They can act as teachers when the lead teacher is absent. To make learning lively, they help in room beautification and cleanliness.

What does a para educator do?

Paraeducators' primary role is to provide students with extra guidance and support outside or inside the classroom. They are also called paraprofessional educators or teaching assistants who are expected to support teachers. In small group activities, they take the lead permitting teachers to help their students in many ways. The necessary skills required include organization, intellectual curiosity, and being calm. They should also be creative, a team player, and knowledgeable. A bachelor's degree in education is also a necessity for this job.

Educational aid vs para educator salary

Educational aids and para educators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Educational AidPara Educator
Average salary$29,988$31,394
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $37,000Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityFairfield, CABelmont, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyPoint Loma Nazarene UniversityCentral Valley School District
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between educational aid and para educator education

There are a few differences between an educational aid and a para educator in terms of educational background:

Educational AidPara Educator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeDuke UniversityNorthwestern University

Educational aid vs para educator demographics

Here are the differences between educational aids' and para educators' demographics:

Educational AidPara Educator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 23.0% Female, 77.0%Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between educational aid and para educator duties and responsibilities

Educational aid example responsibilities.

  • Assist in achieving and maintain DOD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Receive training and certification in CPR and CPI, non-violent crisis intervention.
  • Assist teacher in daily curriculum for Pre-K students
  • Certify in CPR and first aid for adults, children and infants.
  • Assist the kindergarten teacher in conducting children's progress reports throughout the year.
  • Used ABA therapy to work with children who have behavior and emotional disorders.
  • Show more

Para educator example responsibilities.

  • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
  • Work daily with a small group of 4th grade students in language arts in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon.
  • Plan and implement lesson and in a k-5 school.
  • Assist teacher in every aspect of curriculum, CPR certify.
  • Certify in CPR, first aide, used when necessary.
  • Certify through CPI to be able to physically restrain when necessary.
  • Show more

Educational aid vs para educator skills

Common educational aid skills
  • Behavior Management, 16%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Instructional Materials, 7%
  • Physical Education, 6%
  • Child Guidance, 5%
  • Crisis Intervention, 5%
Common para educator skills
  • Behavioral Issues, 10%
  • Student Performance, 8%
  • IEP, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • Kindergarten, 7%
  • School Administration, 6%

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