Middle school is a cornerstone for success in high school. However, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement of adolescents often decline as they transition from elementary to middle school, resulting in lower school grades and more challenging behaviors, especially for adolescents with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders…

Professional development for educators is required by the U.S. Department of Education for improvement in student learning and achievement. The problem addressed in this study was that school educators have had little in-depth input of their learning experiences regarding emotional and behavioral disorders provided through professional…

Teachers may have affective responses to teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) that influence their effectiveness. We used latent profile analysis to examine the burnout profiles of 102 K-Grade 6 general education and special education teachers who had students with or at risk for EBD in their classrooms. We then examined if…

Many teachers resort to using reprimands in attempts to stop disruptive student behavior, particularly by students with emotional or behavioral problems, although this may not be effective. This study examined short-term longitudinal data on teacher reprimands of 149 teachers in 19 different elementary schools across three states, as well as…

A problem of low academic and behavioral achievement has been identified for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBDs) when compared to their peers without disabilities in the middle school general education setting. The purpose of this study was to understand the needs of general education teachers for additional training in academic…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have difficulty with academic engagement during independent seatwork tasks. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Bingo, a novel interdependent group contingency intervention, on the academic engagement, off-task, and disruptive behavior of students with…

Middle school teachers frequently struggle with positively managing student behavior. However, praise-to-reprimands ratios (PRRs) have received little research attention. PRRs studied in elementary school have been associated positively with improvements in on-task and prosocial behavior, but limited research has been conducted on optimal PRRs in…

This article offers a rationale for using a low-intensity support, increasing opportunities to respond, to promote students' academic engagement and decrease disruptive behaviors. A step-by-step guide to implementing this strategy in the classroom setting is presented.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) uses an interdependent group contingency to improve classroom behavior. Despite the wealth of research on the effectiveness of the GBG, some teachers may have concerns about their students' abilities to work in teams, particularly if they have a history of poor social skills. We used an alternating treatments design to…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle with behavior and can display academically challenging behavior in the classroom. Therefore, teachers should consider implementing evidence-based strategies that promote desirable behavioral and academic outcomes. This article focuses on how general and special educators can use…

In the United States, many teachers feel underprepared to manage student classroom behavior positively. Such management is crucial for students to learn effectively, especially those with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Although increasing teacher praise and decreasing teacher reprimands may be research-based practices,…

Positive reinforcement is a research-based practice essential for supporting young children's use of appropriate behaviors and skills. The application of positive reinforcement also is consistent with recommendations by national organizations for early childhood and early childhood special education. In this article, we describe eight guidelines…

Cooperation is an observable and measurable relationship skill identified within social and emotional learning paradigms. Although cooperation plays a role in the academic and behavioral development of students, educators may not have the time, expertise, or motivation to target cooperation skills explicitly. Self-monitoring, grounded in…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have been reported to benefit greatly from participating in general education science classrooms. However, behaviors that this group of students present are frequently cited as reasons for excluding them in such settings. In this study, three novice middle school science teachers received…

Many teachers resort to using reprimands in attempts to stop disruptive student behavior, particularly by students with emotional or behavioral problems, though this may not be effective. This study examined short-term longitudinal data on teacher reprimands of 149 teachers in 19 different elementary schools across three states, as well as…