‘Hiring from the community is not a shortcut, it is a strategy’ At first Ladders convening, we celebrated 1,100 certificates, released new paraprofessional report
Parent Mentors, researchers and friends and supporters of the Ladders of Opportunity program held a first-ever Ladders of Opportunity convening on June 10 to highlight our effective approach to addressing the growing need for paraprofessionals.
At the event we shared findings about the need for paraprofessionals from our new report, Paraprofessionals in Our Schools: Building a Stronger Pipeline. We found that during the 2022-23 school year, more than 900 schools reported paraprofessional vacancies, with shortages disproportionately affecting schools serving Black and Latino students.
The event also celebrated a milestone: more than 1,100 former Parent Mentors have earned education credentials. Many are now working as special education classroom aides, substitute teachers and in other school-based roles.
PEI’s Ladders of Opportunity program supports Parent Mentors in taking the next step toward careers in education, helping to address critical staffing gaps in schools while strengthening community ties. At the event we heard from Parent Mentors who have used the program, principals who appreciate its graduates and all they bring to their school communities, and elected officials.
“Hiring from the community is not a shortcut, it is a strategy,” said Daniel De Los Reyes, principal of Darwin Elementary School. “Bilingualismo and cultural competency are real qualifications in our educational workforce.”
De Los Reyes introduced Monarcas Elementary School Principal Gerardo Arriaga, who De Los Reyes noted was the principal he worked for who gave him a chance to advance in his own career. “The Ladders program has shown us that the solution to our educator shortage is already standing inside our buildings,” Arriaga said.
Other speakers included Emma Herrera, who graduated Friday from National Louis University with her Master’s in Early Childhood Education and who will complete a bilingual certificate over the summer, plans to look for a kindergarten teacher job next and Alejandra González Contreras who works at Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and just started a BA program at St. Augustine College through Lewis University.
“It only takes one person or program to open the door for you,” Herrera said. “That’s what happened to me with Ladders of Opportunity and the Parent Mentor Program.”
State Sens. Willie Preston and Graciela Guzman spoke, as well. "The question is whether our state is willing to build ladders that are strong enough to hold all of you?" Guzman, who helped close the event out, told the crowd. "We can't celebrate Parent Mentors with one hand and under pay and under resource you with the other. This report that we celebrate today should move us toward better wages, paid pathways and real respect for parent educators."
Based on the “Paraprofessionals in Our Schools: Building a Stronger Pipeline,” report, we plan to convene a statewide design team within six months to develop a micro-credential framework and identify pilot districts, with a focus on improving student outcomes.
The new policy report is now available to download and read here.
