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The differences between instructional aides and education paraprofessionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an education paraprofessional has an average salary of $31,158, which is higher than the $30,993 average annual salary of an instructional aide.
The top three skills for an instructional aide include work ethic, CPR and math. The most important skills for an education paraprofessional are autism, behavioral issues, and mathematics.
| Instructional Aide | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Yearly salary | $30,993 | $31,158 |
| Hourly rate | $14.90 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,846 | 53,164 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An instructional aide focuses on performing support-related tasks for a teacher or faculty member. They are primarily responsible for helping teachers maintain a safe and healthy learning environment, recording attendance, creating visual aids or presentations, participating in the preparation of lesson plans and tests, and assisting students who are having difficulties in a particular task or lesson. An instructional aide may also take part in counseling and supervising students' behavior during class activities, all while adhering to the school's policies and regulations.
An education paraprofessional's role is to carry out support tasks for a teacher in a school setting. They are responsible for creating learning materials such as visual aids and presentations, participating in devising lesson plans and assessment methods, grading and evaluating student performances, and even maintaining order in the classroom. There are also instances where they must assist students who are having difficulties catching up with the lessons. Furthermore, an education paraprofessional may also teach under the supervision of a more experienced educator.
Instructional aides and education paraprofessionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Aide | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Average salary | $30,993 | $31,158 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Columbus, OH | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Boston Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Education | Finance |
There are a few differences between an instructional aide and an education paraprofessional in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Aide | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between instructional aides' and education paraprofessionals' demographics:
| Instructional Aide | Education Paraprofessional | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |