Fractions are an imperative skill for students to master to achieve success in future mathematics concepts and classes. Yet many students, especially those experiencing math difficulties and/or characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders, continue to exit elementary school without a concrete foundation of fractions skills required to…

Differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior is a technique in which students can escape a portion of a task they perceive to be unpleasant by reaching a predetermined criterion. In this article, we define the negative reinforcement trap and review research on differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior. We then…

Cooperative group activities in classrooms provide an opportunity for children to learn and demonstrate relationship skills, particularly when clear expectations and explicit instruction are provided. Relationship skills are one of the five competency areas of social and emotional learning. This article provides directions and illustrations for…

Educators frequently use social media platforms such as Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers for guidance on teaching. In this article, we explore reasons why these websites are popular with educators, consider their potential risks and benefits, and provide examples of resources provided on these sites. We recommend that educators first identify…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically exhibit significant behavioral excesses or deficits that interfere with their learning and sometimes that of their peers in the classroom. These behaviors can generally be described as either external and easily noticed (e.g., disruption, aggression) or internal and easily overlooked…

Positive educational outcomes often include success in reading, math, and writing, which are beneficial skills that will assist students in school and beyond. However, in education it is important that the classroom focus not only on subject and content-specific learning, but also on behavior and societal expectations for following rules. When…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) struggle in school, perhaps more so than any other group of students. Whereas it is commonly recognized that these children and adolescents have severe social skills deficits, which impede development of meaningful relationships with peers and teachers, it is also true that students with EBD…

Teaching mathematics to students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is one of the most challenging tasks educators face today. Students with EBD are reported to have the most dismal outcomes of any other group of students with disabilities including the lowest grades, the most failing grades, higher retention rates, the highest dropout…

Research indicates that there is a reciprocal relationship between challenging behavior and poor academic performance and that this relationship will have a lifelong negative impact on individuals caught in this detrimental cycle. New interventions continue to be reported in the literature describing more effective ways to implement academic…

Academic outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are poor. Unfortunately, insufficient attention is paid in research and textbooks to academic difficulties and students with EBD. The purpose of this special issue is to review research-based strategies and interventions for teaching children and youth with EBD. In the…