TikTok has gained in popularity across teachers. One TikTok trend related to classroom management is called "Secret Student." Secret Student aims to improve classroom behavior by rewarding an anonymous, randomly chosen student. In this article, I describe common practices and variations of the Secret Student intervention as well as…

The role of a special educator is one of many different hats, including teacher, interventionist, comforter, parent, counselor, therapist, and administrator. These varying roles, particularly when working with students with emotional behavioral disorders, create one of the most emotionally taxing and challenging jobs in public education, which in…

This qualitative case study examined the training reading teachers received in preparation for teaching reading to students with emotional behavior disorders (EBD), along with teachers' perceptions of the most beneficial strategies. Children with EBD have some of the lowest reading scores among their peers. This phenomenon is attributed to the…

Teachers should possess adequate knowledge of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) to effectively meet the unique needs of students with EBDs. This study explored the implementation and outcomes of a professional development training program on EBDs. In addition, the study examined outcomes concerning the knowledge of in-service teachers…

The case study of two-non tenured special education teachers investigated the impact of a targeted teaching approach on disruption rates of EBD students. The Responsive Classroom Approach, specifically, provided teachers with ample skills to effectively address the challenges that arose in the classroom, beyond the scope of teaching a lesson. The…

School administrators make decisions that directly affect the educational context in which teachers work and students learn. In this commentary, we argue that addressing the burnout of individual special educators without attending to school working conditions may do little to improve teachers' burnout and the outcomes of students with…

This article discusses areas of study special education teachers from 2009 to 2022 wished to learn more about or an issue they found challenging and the implications of their professional learning needs.

This study aims to understand special education teachers' lived experience of encountering Disruptive Classroom Behavior (DCB) among middle school students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in self-contained classrooms. Employing an interpretative phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers…

Teachers of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may face obstacles and feel isolated when implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programming with students. The teacher study group (TSG) offers an effective way to overcome barriers and improve SEL. These groups provide a gathering space for teachers to…

Although evidence-based practices for improving academic engagement for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) have been identified, many teachers do not implement these practices with optimal fidelity. Thus, effective strategies are needed to improve teacher fidelity. Performance feedback is an effective professional…

Each year, the number of students with a documented disability in public schools in the U.S. has increased. However, school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers continue to identify a lack of confidence when teaching students with exceptionalities. This lack of confidence has been exacerbated by a lack of professional development regarding…

The present paper serves as the first systematic review of the training, methodologies, and outcomes reported in the professional development (PD) literature for paraprofessionals working with students with or at risk for externalizing behavior disorders. A total of 16 investigations including 332 paraprofessionals and 852 children and adolescents…

Students with disabilities need high-quality instruction to effectively wield writing as a tool to powerfully shape both academic and economic outcomes. Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is a powerful intervention demonstrated to improve student growth and writing performance for students with learning disabilities, emotional and…

The primary aim of professional learning and development (PLD) is to create a meaningful experience to build educator knowledge and practice that can positively affect student behavior. Yet, few studies evaluate the role of PLD with special educators who work with students with emotional and behavioral disorders in self-contained settings. The…

Special educators working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders often report experiencing collegial isolation, exclusion from school communities, and high levels of burnout and stress. At the same time, many special educators have limited professional development and networking opportunities, which could mitigate these negative…