When teachers implement classroom positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), students can benefit. Unfortunately, teachers report insufficient training and concerns with students' behavior. We conducted this study to test the effects of Targeted Professional Development (TPD; brief training, email prompts, and teacher self-management),…

By differentially reinforcing questionnaire statements that favored teachers' behavior-specific praise in a multiple-baseline design across participants, we altered the verbal behavior of general education teachers. Our target was a written verbalization favoring the delivery of specific rather than general praise. We then assessed the effects on…

The purpose of this article is to lay out how physical education teachers can implement a token economy in their lessons. Following an introductory vignette, five steps to guide teachers on how to implement a token economy are described, namely (1) selection and definition of target behaviors, (2) selection of tokens, (3) selection of backup…

Background: Strong classroom management skills are necessary for students' academic and behavioral success (e.g., Korpershoek et al., 2016), and group contingencies are an effective strategy teachers can use to help improve classroom behaviors (Little et al., 2015; Maggin et al., 2012). CW-FIT is one group contingency intervention that helps…

Premack principle, often referred to as Grandma's law, describes how individuals will perform an arduous or undesirable activity if given access to a desirable activity after the completion of the original task. Premack discovered that highly preferred restricted activities in and of themselves can be reinforcing when preceded by activities that…

Despite the existing research and evidence for teacher praise, this strategy has been studied less frequently in secondary school settings. To better understand and support teacher praise across all school settings, it is important to understand gaps in the literature, especially related to middle and high school settings. In this review, we…

Students with persistent and significant challenging behaviors can sometimes be grouped into specific special education classrooms or even specialized schools based on specific disability categories. This practice presents both opportunities and challenges from a school psychologist's perspective. While this approach can allow for more focused…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between externalizing behavior and peer reputations of kindergarten through third-grade students (N = 35, from 18 classrooms) with or at risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBDs). We also examined the extent to which this relation varied as a function of teacher delivery of praise. A…

This dissertation investigates the influence of interventions on the behavior outcomes of alternative education students in the Midwest United States, addressing the gap in literature regarding the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) in alternative education settings. Grounded in B.F. Skinner's…

Meaningful student-teacher relationships form a crucial foundation for teachers to deliver effective interventions leading to better outcomes for students with challenging behavior. By implementing simple recommendations for facilitating genuine and intentional interactions with students and regulating their own emotional responses, teachers can…

Classroom management can be a significant challenge for teachers, especially novice teachers who report classroom management as their highest need for professional development. School districts are often left with the burden of providing such professional development but typically need more time and resources to provide extensive coaching. There…

The success of teachers is tied to their effectiveness in managing student behavior. In this meta-analysis, we identified 49 single-case-design studies that evaluated the effectiveness of teacher training on their implementation of behavioral support strategies. Training was most often provided in a one-on-one format (n = 18) and included ongoing…

Since the survey in 2015 conducted by the American Federation of Teachers about teacher mental health and well-being, teachers have been reporting higher rates of job-related stress. They have indicated that this stress often comes from poor administrative interactions, negative teacher perceptions, state mandates, staff shortages,…

This exploratory study extends the literature on teachers' stress and self-efficacy in relation to behavior management. Sixty-six middle and high school teachers' use of praise and reprimand during a 20-min observation, in the general education setting, were examined. Following the observation, teachers completed stress and self-efficacy scales,…

To address instructional challenges and poor academic outcomes of youth in juvenile correctional facilities (JCFs), we must understand how and why some teachers are effective and why students are responsive to instruction in these settings. We observed and coded teacher--student instructional interactions from 733 fifteen-minute classroom reading…