Students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) often have difficulty with social adjustment and academic achievement, engaging in problem behaviors such as defiance, rule-breaking, and truancy, yet one particularly challenging behavior is aggression. Researchers assert that verbal aggression (VA) is the most frequent form of…

General labels tend to obscure objective realities upon which disability rights are based and can deny individuals with disabilities their educational and civil rights. Undoubtedly, stigma can come from labels unnecessarily categorizing people into separate groups. However, stigma does not reside primarily in disability categories/terms but in…

The author sets the context for the need to advance equity research in the emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) field, particularly in regard to the education of studens of color. Next, the special issue articles are discussed in terms of their contributions and future directions in E/BD research.

The role of a special educator is one of many different hats, including teacher, interventionist, comforter, parent, counselor, therapist, and administrator. These varying roles, particularly when working with students with emotional behavioral disorders, create one of the most emotionally taxing and challenging jobs in public education, which in…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the promise of a specialized curriculum designed to prepare general education teacher candidates to effectively implement classroom management strategies within a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. Participants were 110 U.S. teacher candidates enrolled in a student…

This study evaluated the effects of a function-based self-advocacy (FBSA) intervention, which provided systematic and explicit instruction to three students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders on how to self-advocate their needs in regard to behavioral support based on the function of their behavior. We used a single-case,…

Evidence-based programs (EBPs) delivered in elementary schools show great promise in reducing risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). However, efforts to sustain EBPs in school face barriers. Improving EBP sustainment thus represents a priority, but little research exists to inform the development of sustainment strategies. To address…

Teachers should possess adequate knowledge of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) to effectively meet the unique needs of students with EBDs. This study explored the implementation and outcomes of a professional development training program on EBDs. In addition, the study examined outcomes concerning the knowledge of in-service teachers…

This article will provide a brief reflection on Garwood's summary of research on special education teacher burnout and fidelity of implementation in delivery of evidence-based behavioral interventions. Subsequently, we provide a conceptual and empirical summary of key issues for supporting teachers of students with emotional and behavioral…

Researchers have found that verbal aggression (VA) is the most frequent form of aggression reported in U.S. schools across all grade levels. There are numerous harmful outcomes for VA perpetrators, victims, and witnesses including depression, anxiety, decreased academic performance, and low sense of school belonging. Moreover, VA is known to…

Rural schools experience difficulty in filling teaching positions at higher rates than non-rural schools. Recruiting and retaining teachers are critical in these districts; however, because the term "rural" is variable, a one-size-fits-all response is not possible. Rural communities tend to be geographically remote, have a low critical…

School administrators make decisions that directly affect the educational context in which teachers work and students learn. In this commentary, we argue that addressing the burnout of individual special educators without attending to school working conditions may do little to improve teachers' burnout and the outcomes of students with…

Consistent evidence indicates the importance of teachers of color for experiences and outcomes of students of color. Fortunately, extant studies consistently indicate special education teachers (SETs) teaching students with EBD are more likely to be people of color than other SETs. These SETs require supportive working conditions, but, to our…

This article critically discusses the ecology of public schools in the United States: systemic barriers and associated biases that permeate these learning contexts and derail efforts to close opportunity gaps for African American adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges. Using results from a mixed-methods study, we illustrate the…

There is an urgent need to aid in what will be an ongoing educational recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. One avenue for supporting students with and at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (e.g., internalizing and externalizing behaviors) is implementation of tiered systems, which emphasize evidence-based practices to prevent…