Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a multitiered system of support for behavior used in many schools across the world. Researchers have begun adapting and evaluating Tier 1 of PBIS for students placed in alternative education (AE) settings. The purpose of this review is to synthesize these evaluations. We systematically…

An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare the effects of two interdependent group contingencies on the academic performance, on-task behavior, and disruptive behavior of eighth-grade students in a social studies class. All students were enrolled in a self-contained alternative school for students with behavior problems.…

Although evidence-based practices for improving academic engagement for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) have been identified, many teachers do not implement these practices with optimal fidelity. Thus, effective strategies are needed to improve teacher fidelity. Performance feedback is an effective professional…

Using an ABAB withdrawal design, the study evaluated the direct and generalized effects of a combined independent and interdependent group contingency on the engagement and disruptive behavior of two groups of students enrolled in an alternative school serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Class 1 included seven middle school…

The current study used a multiple-baseline across subjects design to examine the effect of a daily, audio-delivered, mindful breathing intervention on adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties attending an alternative educational setting. Academic engagement served as the primary dependent variable, with disruptive behavior,…

Behavior-focused alternative schools serve students who are identified by school personnel as exhibiting behavior difficulties, often coupled with low academic achievement. Students can be referred to behavior-focused alternative schools as an alternative to expulsion. In this study, we examined the demographic characteristics of students who…

A multiple baseline alternating treatment (A-B-C-D) design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a writing and peer revision intervention. Eight middle school students enrolled in an alternative program for students with emotional and behavioral disorders received Self- Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) for 10-minute quick writing and…

Three adolescents (ages 14-17) with emotional and behavioral disorders displayed chronic disruptive behavior in their self-contained classrooms at a self-contained alternative school. A descriptive functional behavioral assessment was conducted for each student. Data from file review, structured interviews, and direct observations were used to…

The authors used an alternating treatments design to compare the effects of a worksheet condition and an iPad condition on math fluency and active academic engagement during a high school math class in an alternative school setting. Following group instruction, the three participants engaged in independent seatwork either by completing problems on…

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is an evidence-based intervention for use with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). To date, there are nine studies investigating SRSD in alternative education settings, including self-contained day and residential schools, with 113 students with EBD in grades 3 through 12. A brief…

School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has an established evidence base in general education settings, and emerging evidence suggests that SWPBS may be effective in alternative settings (e.g., alternative, residential, or hospital schools; psychiatric hospitals). Given the intense educational and behavioral needs of students typically…

A multiprobe multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of strategy instruction in persuasive quick writing with 5 seventh- and eighth-grade students who attended a county alternative placement school for students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities. Students were taught to plan and write a 10-minute persuasive…

Contends that (1) over a third of incarcerated delinquents are disabled, needing special education treatment; (2) parallel trends to deinstitutionalize delinquents and develop alternatives to public school for behaviorally disordered youths are putting some individuals from each category in the same alternative setting; and (3) several other…

Saida, a 16-year-old girl in Bermuda, attended a special alternative high school program for students with serious behavior problems. She had been receiving special education for her behavioral problems since the age of 5. Saida regularly used profanity in response to teacher directives, particularly in social studies class. A functional…

After discussing origins of and recent developments in alternative education, articles on alternative education for emotionally disturbed and delinquent adolescents are reviewed according to trend toward definition and assertion of civil rights of these particular children and trend toward right to free and appropriate education of exceptional…