Working with clients to deliver solutions provides ample opportunity for success as well as failure. This article focuses on how to address three shortcomings that often contribute to performance solutions missing the mark. These shortcomings include (a) the "framework" used to view, discuss, and analyze performance is too narrow; (b) performance…

When Deborah Peterson reluctantly accepted the principalship of Roosevelt High School in Portland, Oregon, a high-poverty school no other qualified applicants would touch that her supervisor assigned to her, books for new principals were no help. The books suggested actions like crafting a school vision and developing professional learning…

The recent Institute of Medicine report on prevention (National Research Council & Institute of Medicine, 2009) noted the substantial interrelationship among mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and pointed out that, to a great extent, these problems stem from a set of common conditions. However, despite the evidence, current research and…

There is growing interest in coaching as a means of promoting professional development and the use of evidence-based practices in schools. This article describes the PBIS"plus" coaching model used to provide technical assistance for classroom- and school-wide behavior management to elementary schools over the course of 3 years. This Tier…

Following from an earlier analysis by B. F. Skinner, the present article suggests that the verbal processes in science may usefully be viewed as following a three-stage progression. This progression starts with (a) identification of basic data, then moves to (b) description of relations among those data, and ultimately concludes with (c) the…

Why do so many gifted youngsters stop working hard as soon as they encounter real challenge? These children are happy to spend time at tasks where they knew they will do well but balk at situations for which success may not be guaranteed. In early grades, a gifted child is often praised for his/her innate abilities. Many adults believe that it is…

It is well documented that youth with or at-risk for emotional and behavioraldisorders (E/BD) have severe deficits in their academic functioning. To beginto address these deficits, we focus on the need to close the opportunity gap by providing access to multi-tiered systems of academic prevention, maximizing academic learning time, and providing…

Many public schools are experiencing improved student, staff, and school outcomes with the adoption of a positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework, which organizes evidence-based practices into an integrated continuum of supports. Although alternative programs are often more restrictive and specialized because of the…

Supplemental small group reading instruction is frequently provided in the general education setting to struggling students at elementary schools that use response to intervention frameworks. Although building reading proficiency is the main focus of the intervention, students' learning-related behaviors should also be addressed to improve…

The task of this article is to interrogate the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) model to develop a more robust understanding of a prominent trend in the charter school movement and education policy more generally. To accomplish this task, this article details the findings of a synthetic analysis that examines the KIPP model as a Hegelian whole…

Exclusionary policies are practiced widely in schools despite being associated with extremely poor outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse students, particularly African American males with and without disabilities. This article discusses zero tolerance policies, the related research questioning their basic assumptions, and the negative…

School discipline has been a subject of national attention both inside and outside the field of education for years. Efforts to improve how schools and communities work together to address student discipline have shown the potential for creative and effective solutions that provide better outcomes for all--students, families, educators, and…

Three years ago, the authors accepted positions as high school principals in Buffalo City (NY) Schools after serving as elementary school principals in the district for many years. In their new positions, they were to lead schools that were designated by the New York State Department of Education as "persistently lowest achieving,"…

This unique book will provide teachers and other service providers the knowledge and skills for positive behavior supports in school settings, thereby improving the academic and social skills of their students. The text is generic across age levels K-12, and focuses on the positive behavior supports in school settings. Each chapter begins with Key…

Contact or touch detectors in which a subject acts as a switch between two metal surfaces have proven more popular and arguably more useful for recording responses than capacitance switches, photocell detectors, and force detectors. Components for touch detectors circuits are inexpensive and, except for some special purpose designs, can be easily…