In the midst of national shortages, the need to recruit qualified personnel, especially teachers with a bilingual or ESL endorsement, is challenging. With effective training, paraprofessionals can be the solution to some of the high-need areas. The requirements for Title I paraprofessionals to obtain an associate's degree--along with authorization to use federal dollars for professional development--can support paraprofessional-to-teacher programs and offer a way to lower attrition rates among newly hired teachers.