The problem is teacher attrition among students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) in the southeastern United States. Addressing this problem is vital to improving outcomes for students with EBDs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore factors related to teacher retention and quality instruction when working with…

An emerging literature base suggests that symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) persist beyond adolescence and are associated with unique psychosocial impairment for adult populations. The purpose of this study is to examine the clinical characteristics of ODD symptoms in a young adult population. Three-hundred and five young adult…

College persistence rates for students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) are lower than same age peers. College students with EBD manifesting internalizing behaviors who graduated from one independent northeastern therapeutic high school (INTHS) had low first-year college retention rates despite high college admission rates. The purpose of…

This dissertation consists of three empirical studies that explore the educational experiences and trajectories of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities. The first study uses longitudinal data from four large California school districts to examine the characteristics of long-term ELs (LTELs) and former ELs--those reclassified as…

Discipline decisions regarding students with exceptionalities are complex. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) includes regulations that may safeguard educational access and opportunities through the manifestation determination (MD) process. Professionals knowledge, skill, and advocacy may also play a role in the…

This study examines the effects of the NAMI Parents and Teachers as Allies training on the Mental Health Literacy, Personal Beliefs, and Stigmatizing Attitudes of preservice teachers. A researcher developed survey was administered three times to the training group prior to, immediately following, and two weeks after the training. A nonequivalent…

For decades, youths with disabilities have had consistently poor postschool engagement outcomes in terms of employment and postsecondary education and training. Student-, school-, and district-level factors have impacted these outcomes in varying degrees. Using three years of postschool outcome data from the South Carolina Department of Education…

The purpose of this study was to examine four elementary/general music educators (EGME) enrolled in a music and special education graduate course, on their attitudes toward teaching children with disabilities and how they applied knowledge gained from the course in their classrooms. Data collection began on the first class session, February 9th,…

This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in postsecondary completion rates between students with Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD) who were involved with their own postsecondary transition planning processes, whose parents were involved in the transition planning, and who received services or…

The purpose of this study was to: (a) identify which behaviors from the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD) Critical Events Index occur in male Saudi Arabia primary schools and how often teachers perceive their occurrence; (b) determine the extent of concern male Saudi Arabia primary school teachers report regarding these behaviors;…

Given the consistently poor postschool outcomes of individuals with high incidence disabilities, there is a need to examine the transition services provided to them while in school. This secondary data analysis explored the transition services received by individuals with high incidence disabilities through the National Longitudinal Transition…

This study investigated the use of organizational learning community principles to effectively manage organizational change. Target is a pseudonym for a small public school in Southern New Jersey that has provided educational services to students with special needs since 1969. In 2004 Target began providing services to a new population of students…