Abstract
As we publish the first issue of Volume 28, we are extremely proud to present seven quality articles from scholars within the field of special education aimed at helping practitioners better serve students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Over the last several years, we have increased the number of articles published within each issue from five to seven, to better support professionals and promote use of research- or evidence-based practices in schools. As editors, we have strived to continuously increase both the quantity and the quality of articles published in Beyond Behavior. We believe this issue reflects our commitment to this goal.
The first several articles are based on presentations from the Teacher Educators for Children with Behavioral Disorders (TECBD) conference, which is held in Tempe, Arizona, each fall. Nicolette Grasley-Boy and her colleagues start off the issue with a discussion of the importance of quality professional development (PD) for teachers to effectively implement classroom management skills. Researchers have demonstrated that PD programs are most effective when follow-up occurs after skill instruction. Grasley-Boy and coauthors Nicholas Gage and Ashley MacSuga-Gage argue that providing PD within a multi-tiered support (MTS) framework can make PD delivery more efficient for school-based professionals. This article outlines empirical support for MTS-PD along with an overview of the steps for implementing MTS-PD. The authors also provide specific recommendations for developing an implementation team, data collection systems, and skills for training within MTS-PD.
The second conference article by Lydia Beahm, Bryan Cook, and Lysandra Cook addresses how teachers frequently rely upon social media platforms such as Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers to seek guidance on teaching. Their discussion article explores reasons why these websites have become so popular with educators, addresses their potential risks and benefits of accessing them to locate research-informed practices, and provides examples of resources provided on these sites. After reviewing the websites, the authors recommend that educators first identify and learn the critical elements of effective practices from trustworthy sources—and they provide a number of websites for professional to access—and then explore Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and similar websites for usable materials. The authors believe that following such an approach will increase the likelihood that teachers of students with or at risk of EBD will locate and use empirically-supported practices.
The last conference article by Krystal Kennedy and Seth King discusses how positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS) can be extended to and implemented aboard school buses. The article describes guidance for the expansion of PBIS onto school buses, providing step-by-step guidance for school districts to follow in this expansion. The authors discuss a five-step process that begins with establishing data-based goals for bus-PBIS implementation. The remaining steps include describing the process to stakeholders and gaining commitment, developing the plan, training folks to implement the plan, and then evaluating district-wide implementation. Kennedy and King include a vignette that describes implementation in a rural district.
The fourth article by Todd Haydon and colleagues is a continuation of the Behavioral Disorders/Beyond Behavior journal collaborative that was introduced with the publication of this journal’s last issue—27-3 (2018)—that included a series of articles on low-intensity classroom management strategies that teachers can choose from in trying to improve classroom climate and student behavior for students at risk of EBD. The journal collaborative has allowed for literature review articles to be published in Behavioral Disorders and highlighted in Beyond Behavior. The Beyond Behavior articles’ focus, however, has been on how to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate implementation of specific teaching practices. Haydon and coauthors William Hunter and Terrance Scott discuss how active supervision of students is an essential component for creating safe and secure classrooms and schools. Active supervision is a research-based practice that meets the Council for Exceptional Children’s standards for a potentially evidence-based practice for all students, including those with or at risk of EBD. In this article, the authors discuss key considerations for planning and implementing active supervision. The authors also use a case study to demonstrate the use of active supervision in a co-taught high school classroom.
The remaining three articles are regular contributions to the journal and published outside of the two special series. The fifth article by Ashley Rila and colleagues shows how teachers can deliver high rates of opportunities to respond (OTR) to improve outcomes for students with challenging behavior. High rates of OTR can maximize student engagement while providing ways for teachers to quickly assess content mastery. Given the increasing trend of technology use in schools, teachers can leverage technology for delivering OTR. Rila and coauthors Sara Estrapala and Allison Bruhn discuss three technology-based tools teachers can use to enhance OTR delivery and provide examples of how to incorporate these tools into their classrooms.
The sixth article by Staci Zolkowski and Calli Chiu provides alternative approaches for implementing mindfulness practices in the classroom to help improve challenging behaviors. Managing challenging student behaviors can be difficult for any educator. Lacking knowledge of research-based, positively oriented behavior interventions, educators may resort to punitive, reactive disciplinary strategies. Mindfulness is a positive, proactive approach that may help students with EBD improve their ability to regulate their own behaviors. The article provides information related to mindfulness practices that teachers can use in their classrooms to improve the behaviors of their students with EBD.
In the last article, Todd Haydon, Peter Alter, Renee Hawkins, and Connie Theado review mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) strategies for teachers. The authors provide an overview of the effectiveness of MBSR practices for teachers. Body scan, calm breathing, focused attention, and relaxation techniques are highlighted. The article includes simple steps that teachers can engage in to apply MBSR interventions for themselves. The authors also include a list of MBSR resources to facilitate teacher understanding and implementation of these strategies.