Although there are a growing number of implementation strategies to increase the adoption, fidelity, and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBP), they are often complex and bulky, which can interfere with their widespread application. To address these challenges, the Helping Educational Leaders Mobilize Evidence (HELM) strategy was created…

The use of data-based decision making is critical in any classroom, but especially in special education settings. "The Teacher's Guide to Action Research for Special Education in PK-12 Classrooms" describes the basic concepts of action research and how this process can support student success in the classroom and beyond. This practical,…

Systematic prompting is a versatile evidence-based practice that can improve a range of outcomes for students with disabilities, but many teachers and paraeducators are not familiar with systematic prompting or may struggle with implementation. In this systematic review, the authors identified 28 articles that evaluated training practices for…

Public programs have been charged with implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to improve outcomes for children with autism. However, research indicates that scale-up of EBPs poses challenges. This study identifies perceived variables linked to effective statewide scale-up of EBPs in special education by exploring implementation climate…

High-quality professional development can lead to increased and sustained implementation of evidence-based practices. This study examined the effects of practice-based coaching (PBC) paired with scripted supports on teachers' use of shared book reading strategies. The primary dependent variable was percentage of strategies correctly implemented;…

Teachers working in a special education self-contained classroom were required to implement evidence-based practices and interventions, rarely researched in a school setting, with fidelity to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Evidence-based practices and interventions for students with intellectual disabilities were…

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System requested a systematic review of Tier 2 literacy interventions for students in grades K-3. This review defines a Tier 2 literacy intervention as a supplemental instructional program for students who require support in addition to the Tier 1 core reading program. Of the 267…

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have complex and unique needs that can impact their success. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) have been identified that are effective with this population, yet educators may not be adequately prepared to implement such EBPs. Special education administrators are frequently responsible for developing and…

Given the critical importance of discrete instructional practices in special education, teacher candidates must be prepared to implement them upon entering the classroom. In preservice teacher education programs, field placements and clinical experiences rarely provide enough opportunities for preservice teachers to gain the proficiency needed to…

In an urban Midwestern elementary school, the teachers and administrators were perplexed by the rise in special education referrals even with the implementation of response to intervention (RTI). The problem addressed in this study is the general education teachers' implementation of RTI to identify if there were any gaps in practice and, if so,…

Since the transition mandates were introduced, multiple models, instructional programs, and published curricula to promote student involvement have been developed and evaluated that are evidence- and research-based practices. The federally funded "National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative" (NTACT:C) has…

The autism intervention literature focuses heavily on the concept of evidence-based practice, with less consideration of the acceptability, feasibility, and contextual alignment of interventions in practice. A survey of 130 special educators was conducted to quantify this "social validity" of evidence-based practices and analyze its…

Schools are the primary setting in which autistic youth receive intervention, yet fidelity to implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for autism in schools varies. Fidelity is an important metric to determine whether educators are delivering EBPs as designed, and there are many different factors that predict fidelity to EBP…

Although evidence-based practices for improving academic engagement for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) have been identified, many teachers do not implement these practices with optimal fidelity. Thus, effective strategies are needed to improve teacher fidelity. Performance feedback is an effective professional…

In this systematic review, we evaluated the quality and rigor of the current evidence base for the Second Step social-emotional learning program in middle schools. Eleven studies were coded using the "Council for Exceptional Children Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education" with an 80% weighted criterion. We…