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.
|Acknowledgments
Introduction In Search of Para Power
Epilogue Paraprofessional Educators on the Front Lines, Once Again
Notes
Bibliography
Index
|"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|Nick Juravich is an assistant professor of history and labor studies and the associate director of the Labor Resource Center at UMass Boston.