Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

Emotional exhaustion is prevalent among special education teachers (Brunsting et al. 2022). Previous research showed that disruptive student behavior is positively associated with teachers' emotional exhaustion (e.g., Kollerová et al. 2023). However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. The present study investigated teachers'…

Although teachers are ideally positioned to support increasing social-emotional needs of their students, they may not always have knowledge or confidence in implementing strategies to support the student's mental health needs. This can lead to negative perceptions of students with challenging behaviors and misunderstandings of so-call…

The case study of two-non tenured special education teachers investigated the impact of a targeted teaching approach on disruption rates of EBD students. The Responsive Classroom Approach, specifically, provided teachers with ample skills to effectively address the challenges that arose in the classroom, beyond the scope of teaching a lesson. The…

Since the start of the full inclusion movement, K-2 general education teachers have been overwhelmed with their behavior management due to the increased numbers of students with disabilities in their classroom who display emotional/behavioral challenges. This basic qualitative study aimed to explore K-2 teachers' perspectives on having a broad…

This study aims to understand special education teachers' lived experience of encountering Disruptive Classroom Behavior (DCB) among middle school students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) in self-contained classrooms. Employing an interpretative phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight teachers…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Tootling on disruptive classroom behaviors and academically engaged behaviors within a self-contained setting of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study aims to answer two research questions: (1) Is there a functional relationship between Tootling and reducing the…

Some students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional and behavioral disorders, may struggle with transitions, demonstrating inappropriate behaviors during them. Visual supports, previously determined to be an evidence-based practice for students with autism, is a proactive classroom management strategy addressing transitioning. In…

African American students have been overrepresented in school discipline and the criminal justice system for years. The tendency for this overrepresentation increases when the African American student has a disability, particularly emotional or behavioral disabilities. The problem addressed in this study is that African American students…

Positive and constructive feedback is a form of positive reinforcement essential to effective instruction and classroom management. This article provides practitioners with a range of realistic positive and constructive feedback strategies and descriptions of how such feedback can be implemented in schools and classrooms, with a special focus on…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a well-documented group contingency designed to reduce disruptive behavior in classroom settings. However, few studies have evaluated the GBG with students who engage in severe problem behavior in alternative schools, and there are few demonstrations of training teachers in those settings to implement the GBG. In…

Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the United States. This is especially true for teachers who are responsible for meeting the complex needs of students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In fact, EBD teachers have a higher risk of experiencing burnout than their special education…

An increasing number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders are being served in general education environments. This article provides general and special education teachers with step-by-step instructions in three classroom management strategies that, when implemented well, can increase academic engagement and reduce challenging…

Dr. Vern Jones shares his reflections on a career that focused on providing avenues for encouragement for youth and teachers who daily face challenges. His career is marked by an unflagging work ethic regardless of the role in which he was placed. Vern's work in enhancing the field of classroom management has resulted in approaches that have…

Middle school teachers frequently struggle with positively managing student behavior. However, praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) have received little research attention. PRRs studied in elementary school have been positively associated with improvements in on-task and prosocial behavior, but limited research has been conducted on optimal PRRs in…