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Parenting and Education 101: elementary school staff -- what do they do?
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Photo/Courtesy of MorgueFile/Kevin Rosseel
While most elementary schools still have a principal and classroom teachers, many other roles have changed in the last twenty years. Understanding the roles of school personnel helps parents get what they need for their children and know what to expect from each member of the staff.
In general, administrative type questions (e.g. attendance, address changes, school calendar) go through the front office; for questions and concerns about students or the curriculum, start with the classroom teacher. Public schools employ a variety of professionals and paraprofessionals to help meet the needs of the students. Some positions are part-time or shared among schools. Though the roles may vary, here's a list of common job titles and responsibilities at most elementary schools.
Principal: An elementary school principal leads the school’s instructional program and is in charge of staff and operations. The principal reports to the district’s superintendent. Depending on school demographics and student needs, the principal may also direct and implement special programs.
Vice-principal: Vice-principals are more common in junior high, high school and in large elementary schools. Duties vary but often include handling discipline, testing, special education and English Language Learner (ELL) issues.
Special education teacher: Classroom teachers who teach special needs students. Sometimes special education teachers help develop interventions or special acommodations for students in regular classrooms.
Resource teacher: Usually works with individual or small groups of students who have learning disabilities or are significantly delayed in reading or math development. Resource teachers generally pull students from their regular classroom for remedial instruction.
Tutors: Some schools employ teachers or tutors to work with groups of students struggling with reading or math. These tutors generally work with students who test at a basic or below basic level in math or reading. They may not be credentialed teachers.
Classroom teacher: Classroom teachers are generally responsible for teaching to the state standards in math, language arts, science, social studies, art, music and physical education. Some schools provide additional teachers to teach certain subjects like science, PE, art or music. Some schools, particularly in the later grades, may assign more than one teacher to cover the curriculum.
Specialized teacher: Schools with media or computer labs may have a full or part-time technology teacher. Some schools contract teachers or other individuals outside of the school to teach subjects like music, art, PE or science. These individuals often teach several grades levels.
School administrators and coordinators: Duties include coordinating testing and special programs such as ELL, GATE and special ed, scheduling, attendance and following up on excessive tardies or absences and behavior problems.
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After-school programs: Usually contracted out to other organizations; staff usually includes a director and teachers.
Instructional aides: Depending on experience, education and the teacher’s needs, instructional aides help with grading, student supervision and classroom administrative work. While they may assist in the classroom, they are not teachers.
School nurse: Though most schools can’t afford a full-time nurse, school nurses attend to injuries and illnesses, help manage medical conditions, distribute health information, screen for lice and other conditions and teach health and nutrition. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools reports that less than half the country's public schools employ a full-time nurse or offer health care services on site and in California there are many school districts with no nurses. The California Department of Education reports an average ratio of 1 school nurse to 2230 students
School psychologist: Tests for special education qualification and diagnosis and other issues that affect school performance. School psychologists are usually shared among many schools.
Counselor: More common in junior high and high schools, counselors often help with administrative duties such as testing and class scheduling. California is ranked last in the nation for the ratio of students to counselors. Elementary school counselors may also work with students on social, emotional and behavioral issues. Elementary school counselors are often shared among schools and some districts don’t hire any.
Librarians: Many schools can no longer afford full-time librarians and many school rely on parent volunteers to run the library. School librarians teach research and library skills, read stories and assist teachers with projects.
GATE teacher: Schools with GATE programs (Gifted and Talented Education) may have a teacher who teaches GATE or highly achieving students.
Monitors: Paraprofessionals hired to supervise students on the playground at recess and lunch. These aides are generally paid hourly and only work a couple hours a day.
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