Background: In recent years, school districts have experienced a complex policy environment with myriad reforms aimed at addressing longstanding and historically entrenched disparities in opportunities and outcomes between racially minoritized students and White students. One such reform is standards-based accountability, with its emphasis on…

"Multitier systems of support" (MTSS) are widely understood as an evidence-based framework for coordinating integrated delivery of a continuum of layered services to support students' development. Traditionally, MTSS includes three tiers. Tier 1 refers to universal supports that are system-, school-, or classwide; tier 2 includes…

This study examined the impact of a state policy requiring that any school with a habitual truancy rate of 8% of higher to be trained in Tier 1 school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS). A regression discontinuity (RD) design was used to examine how the schools' mandate status related to SW-PBIS training as well as…

The current study provides foundational research on the extent to which Florida Title 1 middle schools (schools including grades 7 and/or 8) have policies and practices that align with core components of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). Principals from 197 (42.73%) of all FL Title 1 schools that included at least grades seven…

There are gaps in the literature between implementation research and organizational learning describing how local school systems successfully implement initiatives that change practices within school sites. Until recently, there has been a pattern for federal and state policies to overlook the role of the local school district in impacting school…

State agencies provide for MTSS [multi-tiered systems of support] initiatives with the purpose of producing meaningful outcomes. The impact of MTSS is dependent upon the ability of educators to implement the practices correctly and consistently. A lack of implementation fidelity can result in a practice or program being less effective, less…

More than ever, schools across the United States and around the globe are embracing social and emotional learning (SEL) to assist students in adopting these skills and many other interpersonal (e.g., teamwork, leadership) and intrapersonal (e.g., self-regulation, resilience) capabilities. This dedication to SEL is well supported by research.…

RAND researchers present results from a spring 2019 survey of a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) public school teachers about their approaches to supporting students' social and emotional learning (SEL) and the factors that might influence those approaches. The authors explore teachers' SEL practices,…

There is a continuous preoccupation on developing efficient, scientifically and pragmatic-based strategies and techniques in order to improve the educational and therapeutic practices in educational and therapeutic/remedial contexts. The helping and caring professionals are constantly involved in their continuous specialization, by participating…

How do we remove learning barriers and provide all students with the opportunity to succeed? Written for both general and special educators from grades Pre-K through 12, "What Really Works with Universal Design for Learning" is the how-to guide for implementing aspects of Universal Design Learning (UDL) to help every student be…

In 2013, national education groups representing principals, school-employed mental health professionals, and school resource officers developed "A Framework for Safe and Successful Schools" (ED612657) to provide a common set of recommendations for policies and practices that create and sustain safe, supportive learning environments. The…