Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have challenging classroom behaviors and poor postschool outcomes. Self-determination promotes positive classroom behavior and successful postschool outcomes. By incorporating choice-making, an element of self-determination, teachers across grade levels can address behavioral issues and…

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…

Sometimes, despite the most perfectly delivered writing lesson implemented with fidelity, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) do not make the progress expected by teachers or themselves. In these instances, teachers may individualize and differentiate for students with EBD not making adequate progress by purposefully…

Early adolescents entering middle school are at a pivotal developmental phase as they become less dependent on parents/guardians and seek greater autonomy while encountering a complexity of social demands requiring them to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to achieve academic and social success. Yet, students who receive services…

Alcohol consumption has profound effects on behavior, such as impaired judgment, addiction or even death. It is estimated that alcohol contributes to around three million deaths worldwide, 13.5% of them in young people with ages between 20 and 39 years. Consequently, it is necessary to raise awareness among college and high school students of the…

Students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) struggle to acquire and develop writing skills. To support their students' unique needs, it is important for teachers to monitor student writing progress to make instructional decisions based on data. In this article we describe methods for progress monitoring focused on…

New science demonstrates how students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders experience trauma at higher rates than their peers. When providing writing instruction to these students, it is imperative that the approaches used be viewed through a trauma-informed lens. This article describes steps teachers can take to view writing…

For students with severe or complex challenging behavior, incorporating hypothesis testing as a component of functional behavior assessment (FBA) is often warranted. Several hypothesis testing strategies (i.e., functional analysis, antecedent analysis, concurrent operant analysis) can confirm whether and how features of a student's environment…

A majority of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), particularly those served in alternative educational settings, have a history of trauma exposure before placement. Evidence-based interventions such as Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) may be more effective for these students if the interventions are systematically adapted to include…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often struggle to apply self-determination skills. Teaching self-determination skills within the context of writing allows students to amplify their voice and communicate with others. This article describes how writing instruction and lessons on self-determination skills may be combined to…

Preservice teacher candidates acquire and develop numerous competencies in their teaching programs, including how to teach writing. Effective writing instruction is critical across all ages and content areas, especially when working with students with and at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders, making it an important aspect of teacher…

Reading proficiency is essential to positive school and transition to adult life outcomes, as reading skills contribute to high school graduation, gainful employment, and the ability to enact the full range of rights and responsibilities associated with citizenship. This article discusses concerning trends in school-based reading instruction and…

A transition-age youth with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) has the right to a free, appropriate public education that includes postsecondary transition planning and services. Because students with emotional-behavioral disorders (EBD) experience adverse outcomes during and after high school, they may benefit from a transition-focused…

This article examines the importance of integrating culturally responsive teaching practices in classrooms for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). It highlights strategies supported by empirical research that amplify student voices through dialogue circles and flexible…