California Educator

April 2017

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/812811

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Julia Wright decided to make a career change in 2004. She went back to college and earned a special education credential, switching from an elementary teacher to a resource specialist. But special education was harder than she anticipated. Strategies and classroom management skills that worked well with mainstream students didn't always apply; she was drowning in paperwork; and it was difficult to coordinate with other teachers when she pulled students from their classrooms for extra help. "I guess you could say I was struggling," says Wright. She entered her district's PAR (Peer Assistance and Review) program. PAR's mentor teachers gave her extra attention and feedback. She observed other special education teachers in their classrooms. Instead of feeling like she was drowning, she felt as if she'd been thrown a lifeline. Budget cuts forced her district to eliminate PAR a few years later. But last year, after more than a decade, it was brought back. Coordinating the program is none other than Wright, who loves "paying it forward" as a consulting teacher on spe- cial assignment. "I'm super excited we brought this back," says the Downey Consulting teacher Monica Rasmussen, left, with new teacher Peter Limata, who volunteered for the PAR program at his Oakland school. PAR programs let teachers help teachers succeed By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Photos by Scott Buschman Peer Review Makes a Comeback 22 cta.org FEATURE

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