Paraprofessionals are educator assistants who provide instructional support for classroom teachers. Under supervision of certified teachers, paraprofessionals take on varied tasks that free teachers to spend more time on direct teaching and lesson plan development. This topic covers paraprofessional duties, job titles and No Child Left Behind requirements, and provides subtopic links to paraprofessional associate degrees, credentialing and testing.

Policymakers are devoting more attention to transfer and articulation issues as students become more mobile and, in some cases, attend several postsecondary institutions prior to earning a degree. Unfortunately, imprecise transfer and articulation agreements often hinder community college students who seek to transfer to a four-year institution. This section covers the types of agreements states use and the pitfalls students face, and provides subtopic links that cover AAT degree programs, 2+2 agreements, common course numbering, and the general education core curriculum.

Many states are facing critical teaching shortages, especially in certain subjects such as math or in hard-to-staff schools. To meet the demand for teachers in these areas, most states offer one or more alternative routes to teacher certification. There is growing concern about ensuring that these alternative routes focus on the quality of the teachers certified. This section explores how states are meeting the demand both for quality and number of teachers through credit-based and competency-based alternative certification programs.

Community colleges are beginning to offer baccalaureate degrees in high-demand fields such as education, health and technology. This section explores this controversial practice. Some constituents welcome this practice as expanding access, while others argue it stretches the community college mission beyond its boundaries. This section also explores other community colleges programs to expand access to the baccalaureate for their constituents, such as university centers between four-year institutions and community colleges.