Students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders pose an immense challenge for educators, and typical practices to address them are punitive and exclusionary, leading to poor academic and social outcomes for students. To address the complex needs of students with intensive emotional and behavioral needs, evidence-based practices and…

Dr. Jeffrey Sprague is a professor of special education and the director of the University of Oregon Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior. He directs research and demonstration projects related to positive supports and youth violence prevention.

Alternative education programs (also called alternative schools) first appeared on the American landscape in the 1960s. Despite the proliferation of these programs, a generic description of what constitutes an alternative education program, historically, has been elusive. Most alternative education programs have the general criteria of serving…

Describes the founding, organization, and support services of the Oregon Family Support Network. Using volunteers, the network provides support and information to families whose children are severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed. Services include emotional support, technical assistance, networking, information, community forums, parent…

The students in Ms. Thomas' classes are struggling with poverty, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, transience, and home languages other than English. Ms. Thomas is struggling to understand how they are going to meet the same standards as students who don't face such difficulties. In this artilce, Ms. Thomas expresses her opinions on…

This report describes achievements of a Linn County (Oregon) project to design, implement, and evaluate a county-wide comprehensive interagency model for achieving improved outcomes for children with or at risk of developing emotional/behavioral disabilities. The project stressed systems change, driven by full parent participation and interagency…