Providing appropriate academic evaluation and intervention services for English learners remains a challenging goal for school support teams. Understanding English language proficiency assessment and universal screening processes can help teams make better decisions when considering possible continued intervention or referral for a comprehensive…

A Michigan school district established a districtwide reading board as a different but necessary alternative to a response to intervention model. The reading board sought a new way to acknowledge the depth and breadth of individualized diagnoses, instructional needs, and social justice in their school district. In addition, the reading board…

The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is a mandatory survey of all public schools and school districts in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since the 2009-10 CRDC, schools and school districts have reported the number of students who were referred to law enforcement and arrested at the nation's public schools.…

This promising practice describes a statewide effort to address the surging youth mental health crisis through the provision of Youth Mental Health First Aid training in West Virginia public schools. Youth Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based training for adults who work with youth. This interactive training increases participants'…

The effects of the opioid crisis have been felt across the country, and many educators are seeking ways to be proactive around their students' needs. An important step toward this goal is identifying students who need support. The Center on PBIS website (PBIS.org) provides multiple resources with provide general guidance on screener selection and…

Uncertainty in education, both general and special, has long troubled educational researchers, reformers, and practitioners. Responding to students with special (atypical) educational needs is an example of decisions that are prone to error. Although some efforts to reduce uncertainty in education are reasonable and helpful, efforts to eliminate…

It is important to understand the contexts which lead to alternative education programming. The ways in which problem behavior is defined detrimentally impacts ethnically and racially minoritized populations and students with disabilities. Additionally, the pipeline to alternative education, with opportunities for increased supports and services,…

This overview highlights Del Norte Unified School District's (DNUSD) approach to enhancing student mental health services via Project Cal-Well. DNUSD is committed to fostering positive school environments and has expanded its Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee to further this goal. The district has launched various mental health…

Engineering students face significant stressors such as high academic expectations and extreme time demands that have the potential to impact their mental health. Due to the mentoring responsibilities of chemical engineering faculty, faculty are often positioned to provide support for these students. Through this article, we aim to help prepare…

There is great opportunity in pediatric primary care to lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being during the critical period from infancy to early childhood. However, many of these opportunities are missed, particularly for the most vulnerable children. The challenges to equitable, universal developmental and behavioral screening in…

Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) was first introduced with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997. In this article, we describe the 25-year history of the PBIS implementation experience, including the core features of PBIS as a multitiered framework and the process and outcomes for…

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as intentional self-inflicted damage to the surface of the body without suicidal intent. Research shows that approximately 15% of adolescents engage in NSSI behaviors, necessitating school counselors with the knowledge and skills to respond systemically and systematically. Five functions of NSSI have been…

This case highlights the moral and ethical dilemmas that principals and educators confront when making decisions about special education classification and placement, particularly in the context of racial disproportionality. These decisions are complex, influenced by the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and…

The purpose of Diploma On! is to re-engage students who have dropped out of school within member districts and ultimately increase the graduation rate in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Program staff obtain student contact information from identified referral sources within each district, normally after a 15-day drop. Next, they contact the student…

The implementation of prereferral models was being discussed in educational literature as early as 1979. Over the past decade, schools in the United States have begun to adopt prereferral models to meet multiple goals, such as reducing inappropriate referrals to special education, supporting students who face academic and behavioral challenges,…