The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has continued to increase since the advent of Zero Tolerance discipline policies in the 1990s. Research indicates that these practices are largely ineffective in addressing behavior, and result in detrimental outcomes for students and communities. This study focused on the use of Disciplinary…

While previous approaches to students? Problematic behavior focused on punishment and rehabilitation through the judicial system, traditional schools implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) implementation report positive student outcomes. However, fewer studies provide insight to PBIS implementation in non-traditional…

School leaders face difficult situations regarding special education discipline that may ultimately lead to costly litigation. This quantitative study design explored secondary school leaders' knowledge of special education discipline law in the five IDEA provision areas of functional behavioral assessment, behavior intervention plan,…

School leaders face difficult situations regarding special education discipline that may ultimately lead to costly litigation. This quantitative study design explored secondary school leaders' knowledge of special education discipline law in the five IDEA provision areas of functional behavioral assessment, behavior intervention plan,…

Youth with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) within residential treatment facilities have a variety of needs (e.g., academic, behavioral, social-emotional). A concerted effort is required to address these areas of need so that youth can develop their skills to be successful within their present and future settings. In chapter…

Positive behavior support (PBS) is a preventative and proactive system of managing behavior that is being used in the United States and other countries. Positive behavior support has been successfully implemented in typical school settings for students with and without disabilities. However, research documenting the implementation and effects of…

Students who struggle with challenging behaviors are sometimes placed in alternative education (AE) settings where they are provided with intensive supports including punitive approaches to behavior management. Some AE settings have moved towards using proactive practices, like schoolwide positive behavior supports (SWPBS), to promote positive…

Students who are removed from the regular school setting receive referrals to disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs), which focus on behavior management. Because students enroll for less than 30 days, it is important to quickly determine students' level of motivation to change, as doing so allows for immediate connection to…

The purpose of this case study was to examine the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) impact on five selected student performance factors. A literature review revealed there have been many SWPBS research studies regarding traditional public schools. However, there have not been any published empirical SWPBS studies involving K-12…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate two alternative programs in a North Carolina and South Carolina (SC) public school district to determine if they are effective in delivering constructive interventions that modify student behavior once students have left the programs and have returned to their regular learning environments. This…

This study examined behavior modification programs in schools designed to focus on discipline and that aim to reform disruptive behavior in students, usually over a limited period of time. This was a comparative case study of two type II alternative schools in the Upstate of South Carolina. The findings contributed to the research base regarding…