Brian R. Barber

A Comparison of Three Types of Opportunities to Respond on Student Academic and Social Behaviors

An alternating treatments design was used to investigate the effects of three types of opportunities to respond (i.e., individual, choral, and mixed responding) on sight words and syllable practice in six elementary students with behavioral problems. During the mixed responding condition, five out of six students demonstrated a lower rate of disruptive behavior, and four out of six students had fewer intervals of off-task behavior. Results of the three types of opportunities to respond on participants’ active student responding were less clear. A discussion of limitations, implications, and future research directions is included.

Juvenile Correctional Schools: Characteristics and Approaches to Curriculum

This study focused on school-level approaches to curriculum, as well as school, principal, and student characteristics in juvenile corrections (JC) schools for committed youth. A national random sample of 131 principals from these schools responded to a mail and on-line survey. No statistically significant differences existed between respondent and nonrespondent schools. Approximately 80% of schools were accredited by their State Department of Education. The primary role of JC schools was to help youth obtain a high school diploma, followed by preparing students for the General Educational Development (GED) test. Approximately 66% of JC schools used a state or local education agency curriculum, while the remainder provided a school-developed or individualized curriculum. More than 50% of respondents asserted that grade level expectations should not be expected of all youth with emotional/behavioral disorders or learning disabilities. Additional results, implications, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Characteristics of and Services Provided to Youth in Secure Care Facilities

Youth who are incarcerated in secure detention and commitment settings display a complex array of educational, behavioral, and mental health issues that affect the services they require, as well as their responsiveness to interventions. Yet, seldom are these needs understood or taken into account when providing services in secure care settings. In this article, research documenting what is known regarding the characteristics of incarcerated youth is summarized. Current research on the use of evidence-based interventions and services for youth in secure settings is reviewed next. Finally, the limitations of existing research and practice and the use of response to intervention (Rtl) for linking youth characteristics to research-based strategies are discussed.

Secondary Psychiatric Schools: Characteristics and Approaches to Curriculum.

This study focused on approaches to curriculum, as well as school, principal, and student characteristics in secondary day treatment and residential psychiatric schools. A national random sample of 148 principals responded to a survey. No statistically significant differences existed between respondent and nonrespondent schools with regard to region, public versus nonpublic, enrollment, or locale. More than 80% of schools were accredited by their state department of education. The primary role of day treatment and residential schools was to help youth obtain a high school diploma. The most common basis for curriculum was the use of state curriculum or individual education programs. Math and reading curriculum, instructional materials, and professional development were rarely reported to align to a great extent with state assessments. The authors provide additional results and implications.

Effect of Tools for Getting Along on Student Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Upper Elementary Classrooms: A Replication Study

Abstract. Social–emotional learning curricula to prevent student problematic behaviors should play a prominent role in public school instruction. While social–emotional curricula have been shown to be effective, there are few replication studies that substantiate their capacity to improve outcomes for students who exhibit problem behaviors. Thus, we conducted a partial replication of a randomized controlled field trial of the Tools for Getting Along curriculum designed to increase self-regulatory functions of upper elementary school students. We found main effects on social problem-solving and significant pretest-by-condition interaction effects on teacher-reported executive function, behavioral adjustment, and aggression. We also found interaction effects on student-reported anger. The current findings are similar to the results reported for the initial study. We also specified high-risk subsamples of students for each of eight outcome factors and found main effects on emotion regulation and positive social problem-solving and a marginally significant effect on metacognition.

State-Level Analysis of School Punitive Discipline Practices in Florida:

The purpose of this study was to identify statewide trends in school approaches to student discipline and examine the associations between punitive discipline practices and student, school, and local education agency (LEA) characteristics. In addition, we compared punitive disciplinary practices for schools and LEAs that do and do not allow corporal punishment. Publicly available data from the 2010–2011 Florida Department of Education and Common Core of Data were used to assess associations between (a) punitive discipline practices (i.e., suspensions, expulsions, restraints, corporal punishment, and changes of placement) and student characteristics (i.e., grade level, gender, and race), (b) punitive discipline practices (without corporal punishment) and school and LEA characteristics, and (c) school use of corporal punishment and school and LEA characteristics. Results of descriptive comparisons, tests of association, and multilevel regression analyses indicated that schools with higher ratios of (a) students receiving free and reduced lunch and (b) Black or African American students more frequently employed punitive discipline practices, and that punitive discipline practices were disproportionately used with males and Black or African American students. We provide additional results and implications for research, policy, and practice.

Research-Based Academic and Behavioral Practices in Alternative Education Settings: Best Evidence, Challenges, and Recommendations

Abstract Alternative education settings (AES; i.e., self-contained alternative schools, therapeutic day treatment and residential schools, and juvenile corrections schools) serve youth with complicated and often serious academic and behavioral needs. The use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and practices with Best Available Evidence are necessary to increase the likelihood of long-term success for these youth. In this chapter, we define three primary categories of AES and review what we know about the characteristics of youth in these schools. Next, we discuss the current emphasis on identifying and implementing EBPs with regard to both academic interventions (i.e., reading and mathematics) and interventions addressing student behavior. In particular, we consider implementation in AES, where there are often high percentages of youth requiring special education services and who have a significant need for EBPs to succeed academically, behaviorally, and in their transition to adulthood. We focus our discussion on: (a) examining approaches to identifying EBPs; (b) providing a brief review of EBPs and Best Available Evidence in the areas of mathematics, reading, and interventions addressing student behavior for youth in AES; (c) delineating key implementation challenges in AES; and (d) providing recommendations for how to facilitate the use of EBPs in AES.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Implementation in Secure Care Juvenile Justice Schools: Results of a National Survey of School Administrators

Despite the prevalence of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for addressing student behavior in public schools, little information exists on the extent and consistency of implementation efforts in secure juvenile justice (JJ) schools. Reports of fidelity to core PBIS processes and components are needed to determine the ubiquity of comprehensive efforts and link implementation to outcomes. All 301 JJ schools in the United States were sent a survey and we report on responses from 143 (47.5%) principals. The survey focused on (a) use of multitiered systems of behavior supports; (b) organizational leadership and training; (c) expectations and consequences; (d) behavior response, monitoring, and oversight; and (e) crisis prevention and management. Approximately 84% of respondents identified alignment with a multitiered framework for behavioral supports. However, fewer supports were available to youth with more serious behavioral needs (i.e., at Tiers 2 and 3). Additional results, implications, and recommendations are provided.