Sponsors (4)
The bill clarifies and documents the role of paraprofessionals and funds a public study to generate data and policy recommendations that could improve training, career pathways, and supports, but it provides only modest federal spending and may impose administrative burdens without delivering immediate pay or job-quality improvements for staff.
Schools, districts, educators, and students get clear, consistent federal definitions for 'education support staff' and 'paraprofessional' aligned with ESEA, making hiring, job classification, program design, and targeting of trainings easier.
State and local education agencies face less cross-program administrative confusion because the bill aligns terminology with existing ESEA definitions.
Recognizing 2+ million paraprofessionals (including 500,000+ serving students with disabilities) elevates their visibility and could spur stronger advocacy, improved inclusion in school decision-making, and better special education staffing and services.
The bill authorizes $2 million and produces only a study and findings, meaning federal spending yields no immediate services or pay increases for paraprofessionals and any improvements (e.g., higher wages or job-quality changes) may take years to materialize.
New or formalized definitions plus the study's data-disaggregation requirements could impose compliance, reporting, and administrative burdens on districts and SEA/LEAs—potentially without additional federal funding—raising local costs and diverting staff time from students.
Some paraprofessionals may be reclassified or face uncertainty about pay, duties, or bargaining status, and because the bill mainly records findings rather than funding reforms, job insecurity (including annual layoffs) could persist.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a 24‑month National Academies study of K–12 paraprofessionals and education support staff, funded at $2,000,000, and requires a public report with recommendations to Congress.
Official title: Direct a study on paraprofessionals and education support staff.
Introduced June 23, 2026 by Edward John Markey · Last progress June 23, 2026
Directs the Department of Education to contract with the National Academies to carry out a 24-month national study of paraprofessionals and education support staff serving pre‑K through grade 12 public schools. The study must describe who these workers are, how they enter and progress in their roles, their duties and effectiveness, pay and working conditions, data gaps, employment models, and produce actionable recommendations for Congress, federal agencies, states, and local school districts. The bill authorizes $2,000,000 to carry out the study and requires the Academies to deliver a public report to Congress within 24 months of entering the agreement.