Search

Today's teachers experience high levels of stress and fatigue that can negatively affect their well-being. Teacher burnout is not a new educational phenomenon, but it has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we discuss the prevalence of teacher stress and its impact on teacher well-being and student achievement. We call for more attention to the social and emotional learning of special education teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. After addressing myths and misconceptions regarding current expectations for educators, we propose a new framework for establishing individual and systemic interventions to support teacher well-being.

Teachers of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may face obstacles and feel isolated when implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programming with students. The teacher study group (TSG) offers an effective way to overcome barriers and improve SEL. These groups provide a gathering space for teachers to investigate problems of practice, celebrate points of pride, and strengthen professional learning in a focused area. In this article, we summarize existing research on SEL and TSGs and describe available SEL programs that incorporate TSGs. We provide an example of SEL-focused TSGs in practice, offering guidance and tips for early elementary school teachers--and the administrators who support them--who work with students with or at risk for EBD.

Though experiencing maltreatment (abuse or neglect) appears to be common in students with the special education label of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), little research has been devoted to this topic by EBD educators. This paper uses archived file drawer data from 1992 that focuses on 149 students newly classified with EBD for whom a wide range of enrollment variables was collected, and who were subsequently followed up on an average of 8 years later to assess their educational outcomes. At enrollment, experiences of maltreatment were determined to have occurred in 57.7% of these participants. The group who experienced maltreatment was predicted at enrollment only by the family stress of having at least one natural parent with a history of psychiatric illness, although the concordance was not strong (52.3%). When the children who experienced maltreatment were next divided into two longitudinal groups according to educational outcomes (52.3% successful), the enrollment variables of the presence of anxiety and/or depressive disorder and younger age predicted the successful outcome group with good concordance (76.0%). Professional and programmatic implications for educators of students identified with EBD who have also experienced maltreatment are discussed, along with practical recommendations for serving this population.

This article reports on a pilot study of the "Integrated Literacy Study Group," a digitally delivered professional learning intervention to prepare elementary school teachers to provide evidence-based reading instruction and behavioral strategies to students with or are at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Using broadcast methods, we recruited 72 teachers across five states in the western United States to participate in the randomized controlled trial. Intervention teachers, relative to controls, made significant gains in self-efficacy and use of the reading and behavioral strategies learned in the professional learning program. Students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders served by participating teachers made significant improvements in academic competence and engagement. Teacher professional learning can improve teacher knowledge of evidence-based reading and behavioral strategies for students with (or at risk for) emotional and behavioral disorders, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher practice, with positive impacts on student early literacy and academic competence.

Teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders face unique challenges in the classroom that are often not addressed in teacher preparation, which may result in diminished outcomes for teachers and students. The Integrated Literacy Study Groups professional development was designed to support the needs of teachers of students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders by integrating components of social-emotional learning and literacy instruction. The present study uses structural equation modeling to evaluate how and to what extent teacher beliefs, targeted in training through collaborative work groups and coaching experiences, mediate the relationship between the Integrated Literacy Study Groups and student reading achievement. Among a sample of 74 elementary school teachers, we found a directional relationship such that training influenced (1) beliefs pertaining to action, (2) beliefs pertaining to self, and (3) student reading outcomes. Beliefs pertaining to self was a significantly stronger mediator of the relationship between professional development and student reading outcomes. We discuss potential reasons for these findings as well as their implications for the design of training of teachers of students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED624128.]

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The "Integrated Literacy Study Group" was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students.

Most students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have significant reading difficulties, but educators have few in-service professional learning opportunities geared to reading instruction for these students. The "Integrated Literacy Study Group" was developed as an online professional development program to prepare elementary teachers to meet the literacy needs of students with or at risk of EBD. In this study, the authors use a within-subjects design to evaluate the feasibility of the 10-week digital program with 13 elementary teachers. From pretest to posttest, teachers made statistically and educationally significant gains in knowledge of evidence-based social and emotional learning and reading strategies for students with EBD, as well as significant improvements in general teacher self-efficacy, reading self-efficacy, and social and emotional self-efficacy. Pretest-to-posttest change in teacher burnout and classroom management was educationally significant, but statistically nonsignificant. Most teachers perceived the program content as relevant to their needs and those of their students. [This article was published in "Teacher Education and Special Education" (EJ1351614).]

It is well documented that youth with or at-risk for emotional and behavioraldisorders (E/BD) have severe deficits in their academic functioning. To beginto address these deficits, we focus on the need to close the opportunity gap by providing access to multi-tiered systems of academic prevention, maximizing academic learning time, and providing explicit instruction for youth with E/BD. We offer recommended positive behavior interventions and supports necessary to improve engagement in instruction. Closing the achievement gap using multi-tiered academic supports requires best practices for universal screening and diagnostic assessment to understand youth academic needs. We detail the key elements of explicit instruction directly linked to improved academic performance. We conclude with alterable instruction factors for intensifying instruction and emphasize the need for intensive language instruction for the majority of youth with E/BD.

The two purposes of the pre-post naturalistic research design were to: 1) Investigate the impact of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) on the behavioral functioning of students with emotional disturbance (ED) (N = 37) served in self-contained settings; and 2) examine the extent to which teacher fidelity of PBIS implementation influenced student changes in behavioral functioning over the course of a school year. Results revealed significant reductions in externalizing and total problem behaviors for the students. Additionally, teacher fidelity to PBIS played a large and statistically significant role in improving the behavior of students with emotional disturbance. Limitations of the design and implications of the findings are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

We sought to extend instrument validation research for the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD) (Walker & Severson, 1990) using convergent validation techniques. Associations between Critical Events, Adaptive Behavior, and Maladaptive Behavior indices of the SSBD were examined in relation to syndrome, broadband, and total scores of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher's Report Form (TRF) (Achenbach, 2001). Both measures were conducted with 65 students with emotional disturbance in grades 6 through 12. Overall convergent validity of the SSBD and TRF was strong, particularly for TRF externalizing problems and associated syndromes. Results provide further support for use of the SSBD in the assessment of behavioral functioning of students with emotional disturbance and extend validation for use of this instrument with secondary students. (Contains 1 table.)

This study investigated the perceptions of 302 building administrators regarding their building level programs serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Comparisons were made between administrators of schools that housed self-contained programs and administrators from schools without self-contained programs on factors regarding the adequacy of academic and behavioral services for students with EBD. No between-group differences were found on administrator ratings of the proficiency of special education teachers with regard to the provision of academic services. However, special education teachers in self-contained programs were rated significantly higher than their counterparts teaching in less restrictive settings on their proficiency to determine students' behavioral needs, to make adjustments to behavioral interventions, and to measure behavioral progress. In addition, students with EBD were perceived as receiving better quality of services in self-contained programs than in the less restrictive settings. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of this cross-sectional study, conducted with a random sample of 166 students with emotional disturbance (ED), was to establish, with attention to age and gender differences, the extent to which students with ED served in public school settings experience language skill deficits. This study also examined particular types of problem behaviors related to language skills. Students with ED showed moderate to large language deficits, which appeared to be more pronounced in the expressive language domain. The language deficits of a majority of the students were clinically significant. These language deficits appeared to be relatively stable across age and gender. Furthermore, externalizing behaviors were related to receptive and expressive language skills, whereas internalizing ones were not.

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of a summer learning program for students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). We used a quasi-experimental design with pre and post assessments for both the treatment and comparison groups. Participants were fourth grade students (N = 92) below proficient on the state standardized literacy assessment and had social emotional/behavioral difficulties. Baseline equivalence on key factors (e.g., age, ethnicity) was established. Both the treatment and the comparison groups received the same dosage of intensive literacy instruction for five weeks, while the treatment group received embedded or explicated social emotional learning opportunities through a variety of enrichment activities related to self-regulation skills, appropriate peer interaction skills, emotional regulation skills, and conflict resolution strategies. Results indicated that both groups improved their literacy skills. Moreover, the treatment group significantly improved their emotional symptoms and peer problem scores, while the comparison group's social emotional behavior remained stable or slightly declined. The results of this study demonstrate initial evidence to support the use of an integrated (i.e., academic and enrichment activities) summer learning model for students at risk for EBD.

The authors report findings of a best-evidence synthesis of the effects of mathematics instruction on the mathematics skills of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The goal of the synthesis was to extend previous research by (a) detailing independent variables, instructional components, and outcome measures for each study; (b) analyzing study outcomes using improvement rate difference and percentage of nonoverlapping data; and (c) summarizing literature on mathematics interventions conducted with students with emotional and behavioral disorders over four decades (from 1968 to present). Highly effective mathematics intervention studies conducted with students with emotional and behavioral disorders, limitations, and future research directions are presented and discussed.

Processing speed plays an important role in numerous facets of life functioning. Language, academic achievement, and behavior are all associated with processing speed; however, researchers have yet to investigate the effect of interventions, particularly language-based interventions, on the processing speed and the behavioral functioning of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This study examined the effects of a language-based intervention program, Language for Thinking, on the processing speed and emotional and behavioral functioning of students with emotional and behavioral disorders served in self-contained settings. At posttest, the authors found significant reductions on the Child Behavior Checklist: Teacher's Report Form, along with statistically significant gains on the Woodcock-Johnson III NU Tests of Cognitive Abilities Processing Speed Cluster. The authors discuss the limitations and present the implications for future research. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of four types of language disorders among public school students (N = 152) classified as Emotional Disturbance (ED). We also examined the association of the types of language disorders experienced by these students with specific learning disabilities and clinical levels of specific types of psychopathology. Nearly 66% of the students with ED experienced a language disorder, with combined receptive-expressive disorders being the most common (35.5%). Students with a language disorder, particularly combined receptive-expressive disorder, showed significantly poorer achievement and more learning disabilities (LD) in all areas compared to students with no language disorder. Furthermore, 91.3% of the students with any LD also had a language disorder. Types of language disorders were not significantly distinguished by psychopathology, although severity was serious in both students with and without a language disorder. These findings have implications for the identification and treatment of language disorders in students classified ED. (Contains 4 tables.)

In the present study, we sought to extend instrument validation research for a strength-based emotional and behavior rating scale, the "Teacher Rating Scale of the Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition" (BERS-2; Epstein, M. H. (2004). "Behavioral and emotional rating scale" (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED) through the use of convergent validation techniques. The associations between the strength-based domains of the BERS-2 were examined in relation to problem syndrome subscales of the "Teacher's Report Form" (TRF; Achenbach, T. M. (1991b). "Manual for the teacher's report form and 1991 profile". Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry). Both measures were conducted with 58 students with emotional disturbance in grades 2 through 12. The overall convergent validity of the BERS-2 and the TRF was strong, particularly for TRF externalizing problems and associated syndromes. However, less evidence emerged for the convergence of domain subscales characterized by behaviors of an internalizing nature. These results provide further support for the use of the BERS-2 in the assessment of the social and behavioral functioning of students with emotional disturbance.

The results from previous research suggest that there is a relatively small (albeit statistically significant) relationship between the externalizing behavior and academic skills of students with emotional disturbance (ED). Researchers have also found that the majority of these students have language deficits that hinder their academic performance. The purposes of this study were to investigate the mediating role of academic processing speed (i.e., academic fluency) on the relationship between: (a) The externalizing behavior and academic skills of K-12 students with ED; and (b) language skills and academic skills of students with ED. Results indicate that academic processing speed mediated the influence of both language skills and externalizing behavior on academic skills of this population. The findings, limitations, and implications were discussed.

Little is known about the academic processing speed (i.e., rapid automatic naming and academic fluency) of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) served in public school settings. A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the (a) percentage of K-12 students with EBD served in public school settings with academic processing speed deficits; (b) mean level and stability of academic processing speed exhibited by K-12 students with EBD served in public school settings; (c) differences in the academic skills, IQ, social adjustment, and language skills of students with and without processing speed deficits; and (d) the relative contribution of academic processing speed, academic skills, and language to the prediction of the social adjustment problems (i.e., total, externalizing, internalizing, and attention). Results indicated that: (a) a majority of the sample (57%) of students with EBD exhibited academic processing speed deficits; (b) the overall academic fluency standard score was more than three-fourths of a standard deviation below the mean for the norm group; (c) statistically significant differences were found between students with and without processing speed deficits across IQ, language, academic achievement, and social adjustment measures; and (d) with one exception (i.e., internalizing problems), academic fluency predicted all social adjustment domains and predicted total and attention problems above and beyond language or academic skills. Limitations, implications, and areas of future research are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)

Secondary schools--be they middle schools or high schools--are reading-rich environments. Secondary schools provide contexts in which students must regularly read and write competently to demonstrate their literacy achievement. In any given semester, there are short stories and novels to read, comprehend, and analyze; civics and science texts whose content must be mastered; math problems that must be understood and then successfully solved; and even high-stakes tests that must be passed for advancement or graduation to take place. It is for these and other reasons that addressing the likely reading deficits of secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) takes on urgency in middle and high school settings. In this article, the authors provide research-based and practical suggestions for secondary teachers who are faced with educating students with EBD. The authors briefly describe the reading skills of secondary students with EBD, reading research designed to improve these reading skills, and a theoretical framework from which to formulate classroom and schoolwide reading intervention for students with EBD. (Contains 2 figures.)

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of remedial reading instruction on the basic reading skills of elementary and middle school students with high-incidence disabilities (n = 45) and their comparison condition counterparts (n = 23); and (b) to examine the relative responsiveness of participating students with emotional disturbance (ED) and learning disabilities (LD) to such instruction. Statistically and educationally significant differences on measures of basic reading skills and oral reading fluency were found between students who received remedial reading instruction and those in the comparison condition. With the exception of performance on measures of oral reading fluency, students with ED were significantly more responsive than their counterparts with LD on measures of basic reading skills. Results, limitations, and implications are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

There is growing interest in understanding the factors that influence the academic achievement of students with emotional disturbance (ED). Structural equation modeling was used to test the interrelationships among language skills, externalizing behavior, and academic fluency and their impact on the academic skills of students with ED. Results showed that language skills exerted a significant proximal effect and distal effect on academic skills. The effect of language skills was mediated through academic fluency (path coefficient = 0.389) but also had a proximal effect on academic skills (path coefficient = 0.359). However, externalizing behavior failed to have a statistically significant effect on language skills, academic fluency, or academic skills. Overall, fit indices suggested a marginally acceptable fit of the data. Results and implications are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a cohesive and intensive preventive prereading intervention on the phonological awareness, word reading, and rapid naming skills of children at risk of emotional disturbance and reading problems. Thirty-six children were assigned randomly to an experimental or comparison condition. Children in the experimental condition received "Stepping Stones to Literacy". "Stepping Stones" includes 25 lessons designed to teach children pivotal prereading skills (e. g., phonological awareness, letter identification). Children in the experimental condition showed statistically significant improvements in their phonological awareness, word reading, and rapid naming skills relative to children in the comparison condition. Effect size estimates indicate that the improvements were moderate to large across all of the phonological awareness, word reading, and rapid naming measures. Treatment nonresponder analyses indicated that a relatively small number of children in the experimental group failed to show satisfactory gains in their phonological awareness (n = 3), word reading (n = 1), and rapid naming (n = 3) skills.

A plethora of research has indicated that emotional disturbance (ED) and language deficits frequently co-occur. Scant research, however, has examined the characteristics of public school students with comorbid ED and language deficits. Furthermore, researchers have not studied children with IQ and language skill discrepancies. The overall purpose of this cross-sectional study conducted with students in grades K through 12 (N = 69) with ED and comorbid language deficits was to detail the academic and social adjustment characteristics of students with an IQ/language skill discrepancy (i.e., a negative standard deviation difference or greater between IQ and total language score). In addition, the types of dimensional behaviors that predict the language skills of these students was explored. Forty-five percent (n = 69) of the original 152 randomly selected students with ED evinced a language deficit. Students with language deficits were likely to exhibit comorbid written language (46%), reading (41%), and math deficits (31%). Delinquent behavior predicted total and receptive language discrepancy scores of students. Results and limitations are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)