This dissertation investigates the influence of interventions on the behavior outcomes of alternative education students in the Midwest United States, addressing the gap in literature regarding the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) in alternative education settings. Grounded in B.F. Skinner's…

Since the survey in 2015 conducted by the American Federation of Teachers about teacher mental health and well-being, teachers have been reporting higher rates of job-related stress. They have indicated that this stress often comes from poor administrative interactions, negative teacher perceptions, state mandates, staff shortages,…

Behavior-specific praise is an evidenced-based and effective classroom and behavior management strategy. Despite the effectiveness of behavior-specific praise, low rates of classroom implementation and expressed needs for additional professional learning on classroom and behavior management strategies persist. School leaders can use existing staff…

This study addressed teacher perspectives of behavior management in the post-virtual learning classroom. The problem that was addressed was the decline of middle school student classroom behavior compared to the pre-pandemic classroom, which is crucial for educators due to its influence on the quality of teaching and learning. The purpose of this…

The topic of praise and more specifically, behavior-specific praise, in special education is complex. It requires an investigation of multiple types of praise in a variety of settings and a variety of individuals with even more severe intellectual and developmental disabilities and other impairments (IDDI). Historically, in much research,…

Student behavior is a major concern for all teachers as classroom management is key to improving educational outcomes. Despite many schools utilizing punitive strategies, research suggests that positive behavior intervention supports (PBIS) are more appropriate and effective at improving student behavior. One such intervention, the Good Behavior…

Strong classroom management skills are the foundation of effective teaching and learning. However, most teachers enter the field unprepared to manage classroom behavior. Many teacher preparation programs offer preservice teachers limited coursework and fieldwork experiences focused on developing classroom management practices. The lack of training…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify which skillsets a successful teacher possesses to help students positively work through behavioral situations rather than immediately exit the student from the classroom. The common themes could allow school leaders to reflect, develop, or improve current strategies for helping teachers develop…

Teachers continually report receiving inadequate training and support in classroom management practices. If teachers do have the opportunity to receive professional development, most are designed as a one-time learning opportunity and do not provide any follow-up training or coaching. Performance feedback has been shown to improve teachers'…

A wide body of literature has documented the disproportionality in exclusionary discipline rates (Gregory et al., 2010; Losen et al., 2015; Office of Special Education Programs, 2020; Skiba, 2014; Welsh & Little, 2018). Students with disabilities or other minority backgrounds are removed from their classrooms at higher rates than their peers…

The implementation of effective classroom management strategies has been associated with increases in student academic engagement and decreases in student disruptive behavior. However, teacher-training programs often fail to provide pre-service teachers with the knowledge base and experience necessary to implement these strategies. Training…

Positive, proactive classroom management strategies support academic and behavioral student outcomes while fostering positive teacher-student relationships. However, teachers often cite struggles with classroom management and challenging student behavior as key reasons they ultimately leave the field. Additionally, pre-service teachers often fail…

Students identified with emotional disabilities (ED) are increasingly being included in the general education academic classrooms. Most general education academic teachers have little training or exposure to the characteristics and interventions associated with students with ED. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been shown to be an effective…

Problem behaviors are prevalent in schools and may result in negative effects for the students exhibiting those behaviors, teachers, and other students. Increasing on-task behaviors has been shown to minimize disruptive behaviors. The current study utilized an interdependent group contingency-based intervention, Class-Wide Function-related…

Classroom management is one of the most important factors contributing to positive learning outcomes for students. Despite its importance, many teachers report receiving no or insufficient pre-service training in evidence based classroom management practices (Darling- Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009). New teacher attrition…