Following a randomized controlled trial that showed effectiveness of an equity-centered positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) professional development intervention on student discipline in elementary schools, we studied the extent to which the intervention had differential effects on individual teachers' use of exclusionary…

Purpose: Early detection of language delays is essential, as language is key for academic outcomes, well-being, and societal participation. Previous studies have focused on undetected delays in young children. Much less is known about referrals at older ages. In this study, we aimed to (a) establish how many children are referred at toddler age…

This quantitative survey design study examined whether children's ethnicity makes a difference in teachers' referral and placement decisions in gifted and talented (G/T) programs. A total of 524 teachers from all over the United States who have taught or currently teach pre-kindergarten through 5th grade participated. The participants were…

In this article, we examined predictive validity of the newly defined "Student Risk Screening Scale--Internalizing and Externalizing" (SRSS-IE 9, with nine items) when used by teachers for the first time, with a sample of 24,535 elementary students from 74 schools in four U.S. geographic regions. Results indicated fall externalizing and…

There are high rates of disciplinary issues present in urban elementary schools in the United States, and school administrators need more effective strategies for improvement. Researchers have found that exclusionary discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions are often overused, have questionable efficacy, and disproportionately affect…

A long-standing issue in the United States has been the disproportionate representation of African American males in special education (Chin et al., 2020). This interpretive qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of implicit bias in the special education referral process for multidisciplinary team members and the…

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rises, the demand for services also increases. For individuals on the autism spectrum to access most of these services, a formal diagnosis is necessary. An accurate diagnosis also informs the type of services a child receives and whether that treatment will appropriately address their symptoms.…

The Alternative Suspension Therapy (AST) program is a trauma-informed, in-school discipline model that was designed to serve as an alternative to traditional suspension. The goal of the AST program was to minimize or eliminate the number of referrals a student might receive that could possibly lead to suspension. The participants in the AST…

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is one of the most frequently used assessments of social, emotional, and behavioral functioning; however, previous research has noted inconsistency in the factor structure and items included on the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6 to 18 Years (CBCL/6-18) when tested with diverse samples of client populations.…

Numerous research based social emotional learning curriculums are available to school districts. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential impact of Second Step, a researched social emotional learning curriculum, and the impact it had on kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students' discipline in school. This…

Experts laud the potential of educational technology (edtech) to promote reading among students with disabilities, but supporting evidence is lacking. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Lexia® Core5® Reading edtech program (Core5) on the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP) Growth Reading™ and easyCBM oral reading fluency performance of…

The purpose of this archival quantitative research study was to investigate the effects of relative age and eligibility for special education through third grade. This study further examined relative age as it related to gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and multilingual learner status on eligibility for special education under the…

The debate about mental illness and the importance of good mental health especially in the classroom has surged. Promoting child mental health is a global priority, and educators have an important role to play in mitigating this public health crisis. Early identification, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment of mental health disorders can…

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…

Disparities in special education enrollment by student groups have been well documented in the United States over the last 40 years (Allen-Butler, 2019; Artiles, Kozleski, Trent, Osher, & Ortiz, 2010; Burton-Douglas, 2017; Dunn, 1968; Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982; Fidishin, 2017). This quantitative, correlational, descriptive study…