The effectiveness of behavioral interventions can be dependent on the fidelity with which practitioners design and implement those methods. Fidelity refers to the degree to which interventions are implemented as intended. Interventions implemented with low fidelity do not achieve anticipated results with students, whereas high-fidelity…

School attendance is a complex topic for all school stakeholders preparing students for college and career success. Students who refuse to attend or avoid school are affected or influenced by a myriad of reasons such as their own physical or mental health issues. This article explores the various factors at the root of school refusal, particularly…

This essay provides a broad overview of adverse childhood experiences and their impact on the middle level learner. The author finds points of intersection between current research on traumatized students and tenets of the middle level philosophy to make the argument for trauma informed practices that holistically serve young adolescents.

Underachievement often begins in middle school for gifted students. Unfortunately, there is no single intervention that will ameliorate underachievement for all gifted students. To date, interventions aimed at reversing the underachieving behaviors of gifted middle school students have been inconsistent and inconclusive. To create an effective…

School-wide positive behavioral support (SWPBS) is an evidence-based strategy to alter the school environment by improving procedures to promote appropriate behaviors of all students. Although research has indicated that SWPBS is an empirically supported and effective intervention in reducing disruptive behaviors in most students, results have…

This study was conducted to examine the effects literacy-based behavioral interventions have on improving the behavior of students with intellectual disability. A second purpose of this study was to determine if literacy-based behavioral interventions could be an effective intervention strategy when used simultaneously with a group of students…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a classroom-based strategy instruction package grounded in self-regulated learning. The Self-Regulated Assignment Attack Strategy (SAAS) targeted self-regulation of assignment management and related academic-behavioral variables for 6th grade students in resource support classrooms. SAAS was…

This study investigated the impact of a school-based mentoring program on at-risk students' office referrals, unexcused absences, and school attitude. Students who participated in the mentoring program had statistically significant reductions in office referrals and statistically significant improvements in school attitude. Based on an analysis of…

In March of 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan delivered a speech that highlighted racial disparities in school suspension and expulsion and that called for more rigorous civil rights enforcement in education. He suggested that students with disabilities and Black students, especially males, were suspended far more often than their White…

This study determined the effectiveness of noncontingent escape access to self-reinforcement, as a student-directed intervention. Three students successfully used a break card to systematically decrease inappropriate behavior maintained by negative reinforcement while increasing task engagement. In addition, teachers completed an Intervention…

A reversal (ABAB) design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a group contingency intervention on the verbally disrespectful behaviors of seven middle school students with specific learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders (ADHD) in a special education resource classroom setting for reading instruction. During the intervention…

Student behavior problems are challenging at all levels in school. The purpose of this article was to determine the type, prevalence and complex nature of student behavior problems and its impact on teaching and learning. Archival data for discipline referrals in a middle school were examined. Data indicated that "Insubordination" was the most…

The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD), a multistage screening system designed to identify elementary school--age children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, was evaluated for use with middle and junior high school students. During SSBD Stage 1, teachers identified 123 students in grades 6 through 9 with…

Using random assignment of students to two intervention groups and a comparison school sample, the researchers evaluated a three-group school-based violence prevention program. The three groups were (1) a whole-school intervention, (2) whole-school, cognitive-behavioral and cultural enrichment training, and (3) no violence prevention. The…

We investigated 4 elementary school general education teachers' understandings of the characteristics of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and what academic and behavioral modifications they implemented for these learners. Two major findings emerged: (a) teachers provided few modifications for individuals with ADHD and…