Students with extensive support needs are at risk of demonstrating challenging behavior due to inadequate support of their individual needs or class-wide factors such as low quality of instruction. Students with extensive support needs are also among the students who are most likely to experience aversive interventions and be placed in segregated…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public-school IEP team members describe decision-making influences and thresholds in least restrictive environment (LRE) placement for K-5 students with significant support needs in the Midwest. Decision-Making Ecology served as a framework for two research questions which…

For students exhibiting challenging behaviors that are nondangerous to others and nondisruptive to classroom activities, such as daydreaming and doodling, educators are unlikely to refer these students for more individualized and resource-intensive behavioral support. As a step towards understanding how to address these students' motivational…

The central school district obligation for disciplinary changes in placement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is to answer the question of whether the conduct at issue is a manifestation of the individual student's disability. School psychologists often play a key role in this team-based manifestation determination…

Youth in the U.S. face a mental health crisis--one that has steadily worsened over the past 10 years (Centers for Disease Control, 2023). Youth with disabilities may experience increased mental health risk compared to their peers without disabilities. Recent national surveys and systematic reviews reveal that mental health risk may be elevated for…

This brief report describes findings from a single case withdrawal design study which explored the impact of training and emailed video prompts to promote a teacher's implementation of a culturally responsive teaching plan in a therapeutic school. Data collectors gathered implementation data as well as observed students' academic engagement and…

The literature base on Restorative Practice (RP) outcomes suggests that schools that adopt RP experience reductions in suspensions/expulsions and improved school climate. Yet data suggests disproportionality in exclusionary disciplinary practices persist. Less is known about whether there are differences among student populations in their…

About 1 in 20 K-12 students are suspended from school each year. Students from marginalized groups -- including Black and Latinx students and students with individualized education plans (IEPs) -- experience suspension much more frequently than their peers. Empathic Instruction reduces the racial gaps in suspensions, but it does not close them…

Early childhood education teachers often feel underprepared for addressing behavior challenges in the classroom. This can limit a teacher's ability to teach academic and social skills and lead to interruptions in their educational experience such as suspensions or expulsions. Effective planning can help teachers create and manage positive learning…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is committed to supporting State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and partners in ensuring that schools and preschool programs have additional tools to foster safe, inclusive learning environments that increase students' engagement and sense of well-being. The Office of…