The quality of classrooms serving students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) is a continuing concern because of its influence on students' educational outcomes. Program evaluation of classrooms for students with EBD has been a recommended practice for many years since Grosenick, George, and George (1987) conducted their…

This article provides an historical look at how programs and practices for students with emotional or behavior disorders (E/BD) have been evaluated since 1964, leading to a codified, although not universally recognized, set of recommendations for evaluating best practices for students with E/BD set out by The Peacock Hill Working Group (1991). The…

A multiple-baseline design study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of strategy instruction in persuasive writing with eighth-grade students who attended a public day school for students with severe emotional and behavior disabilities. Students were taught to plan and write persuasive essays using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development…

A conceptual scheme developed by the National Needs Analysis Project in Behavior Disorders is presented for guiding program description and evaluation in the behavioral disorders field. The scheme identifies essential program components such as philosophy, community involvement, and exit procedures. Underlying assumptions, the development process,…

Results of a survey of 145 special education administrators in 27 states are presented under 4 headings: student identification practices; service delivery; student exit procedures; and program evaluation practices. Findings indicate student identification procedures are fairly well developed, whereas student exit and evaluation practices are less…

Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifies that a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) must be developed for students with disabilities under certain disciplinary exclusions. IDEA, however, does not provide details as to what should be included in BIPs, and this lack of specific guidance often results in…

This study compared perceptions of staff in self-contained programs and mainstreamed programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in a district committed to inclusion, interagency coordination, and staff training. Well-established self-contained programs were perceived as superior to relatively new mainstream programs in…

Analysis of 214 Individualized Education Programs for students with behavior disorders assigned to public school resource, self-contained, and cross-categorical and residential/institutional special education programs found many lacked mandated components and contained discrepancies between annual goals and present performance levels across age…

This article examines the social skills training research-to-practice process and argues that a logical and attendant line of rigorous study is lacking. Areas of social inquiry are drawn from to discuss the need for conceptual frameworks to guide investigation and offer a way for research to be designed and interpreted. (Contains references.)…

Addresses research-based issues related to preparing teachers and other professionals to work with children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Discussion includes an identification of basic personnel preparation questions to be addressed, components of an effective training program, steps for establishing program effectiveness, and…

This study identified risk factors associated with unsuccessful discharge status of 134 students with serious emotional/behavioral disorders enrolled in a secondary-level, therapeutic day-treatment program. Major risk factors found were student substance abuse, involvement with juvenile services, and family living status. Application of…

A 3-year model demonstration program provided vocational services to 58 adolescents and young adults with emotional or behavioral disorders. Forty-six of the participants secured competitive work. Correlational analyses identified four variables associated with program success or failure, including a history of either alcohol/substance abuse or of…

This study describes current provincial/territorial responses to behaviorally disordered students in Canada, comparing this perspective to a 1981 study. Topics examined include definition, prevalence, services available, standards, mainstreaming, program effectiveness, funding, and teacher training requirements. Recommended actions by…

This article describes a replication of the "First Step to Success" program (Walker, Stiller, Severson, & Golly, 1998) with at-risk students in the first and second grade to determine program effectiveness in decreasing inappropriate behaviors and increasing academic engagement time. This expands the "First Step to…