"They went on the so-called front-line": Headteachers on the importance of teacher assistants supporting Roma students during Covid-19 pandemic
Abstract
Socially disadvantaged Roma students are one of the most vulnerable groups in education. Since the 1990s, one of the effective tools supporting the education of these students has been the job of teacher assistant (TA).
The article presents the results of a study focused on the distance education of Roma students during school closures at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with headteachers and other school staff from six elementary schools attended by socially disadvantaged Roma students.
The aim of the study was to describe examples of good practice in distance education; the article focuses particularly on the contribution of teacher assistants, which consisted of: a) TAs establishing contact with students who do not attend online lessons; b) TAs helping to distribute printed learning materials to students, at schools as well as in the localities where the students lived; c) TAs providing one-to-one consultations for the students who were the most in need; d) TAs helping students and their parents to learn how to use the programs necessary for online learning; e) TAs providing online tutoring for students; f) TAs helping teachers with the organization of teaching in smaller groups of students after the schools opened. The described examples of good practice should be the starting point for the further professional development of teacher assistants and their involvement in the education of socially disadvantaged Roma students.