Para Power

How Paraprofessional Labor Changed Education

Nick Juravich

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English

University of Illinois Press
10 December 2024

Education & the law

Series: Working Class in American History

Paraprofessional educators entered US schools amidst the struggles of the late 1960s. Immersed in the crisis of care in public education, paras improved systems of education and social welfare despite low pay and second-rate status.

Understanding paras as key players in Black and Latino struggles for jobs and freedom, Nick Juravich details how the first generation of paras in New York City transformed work in public schools and the relationships between schools and the communities they served. Paraprofessional programs created hundreds of thousands of jobs in working-class Black and Latino neighborhoods. These programs became an important pipeline for the training of Black and Latino teachers in the1970s and early 1980s while paras’ organizing helped drive the expansion and integration of public sector unions.

An engaging portrait of an invisible profession, Para Power examines the lives and practices of the first generation of paraprofessional educators against the backdrop of struggles for justice, equality, and self-determination.

By: Nick Juravich
Imprint: University of Illinois Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780252088230
ISBN 10: 0252088239
Series: Working Class in American History
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 10 December 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Nick Juravich is an assistant professor of history and labor studies and the associate director of the Labor Resource Center at UMass Boston.

Reviews for Para Power: How Paraprofessional Labor Changed Education

“Para Power lifts up inspiring voices of education activists who struggled for collective power at the intersection of women's, workers’, and civil rights during a pivotal historical moment. Juravich’s analysis offers indispensable lessons for all who are committed to defending the common good today.”--Jessica Wender-Shubow, former president, Brookline Educators Union