Pennsylvania fell just below the national average, with 17,508 aides in 1997 making up 8.5 percent of total staff. Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok has touted teacher aides as a way to lessen the effects of large classes. While some aides do provide an extra pair of hands in a regular classroom with a large enrollment, many work with children who have learning, developmental, emotional or physical disabilities. The growing number of aides is a result of the 1975 federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires schools to provide free public education for disabled people between the ages of 3 and 21. The job can be physically and emotionally demanding.
Low salaries are a major drawback.
Still, many in the field argue the position is underpaid, especially when compared with teachers' salaries. While regular classroom teachers typically have more formal education than classroom aides, some aides believe the salary gap shouldn't be so large. Olshefski attributes the low pay to a lack of true understanding or appreciation for what aides do. That may have been true 30 years ago, when aides spent their time putting up bulletin boards and making copies, helping teachers with paperwork and monitoring the lunchroom. Today, aides are increasingly active participants in instruction.