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Executive function (EF), a set of neurocognitive processes, is central to students' emotional and behavioral well-being. Despite students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) being at risk for negative long-term outcomes, there is a paucity of EF research with students at risk for EBD in early elementary school, an important identification and intervention period. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional latent profile analysis with a sample of 1,154 kindergarteners and first graders identified as at risk for EBD to determine whether unique EF profiles existed and the extent to which profile membership was related to distinct patterns of functioning. Results indicated a theoretically supported, three-profile solution of mildly, moderately, and clinically at-risk EF profiles. Differences between EF profiles were noted such that students with moderately and clinically at-risk EF profiles demonstrated more problematic behaviors, less social competence, and greater language difficulties. We discuss implications for early identification, intervention efforts, and future research.

Education researchers, policy makers, and practitioners have emphasized the role that social-emotional learning and self-regulation play in children's adjustment and connection to school, particularly as they transition from pre-school to kindergarten and the primary grades. A pretest-posttest cluster-randomized efficacy trial of the Social-Emotional Learning Foundations (SELF) curriculum for kindergarten-first-grade students found positive main effects on assessments of self-regulation, social-emotional learning, social-emotional vocabulary, and general behavioral functioning. This study is a secondary analysis using structural equation modeling to explore whether SELF effects on school adjustment were mediated by its effects on language and/or self-regulation-related outcomes. Findings replicated direct effects of treatment but did not support hypothesized mediators. In contrast, direct effects of treatment on measures of competent school functioning and internalizing behavior were mediated by outcome effects on a standardized measure of social-emotional learning competence. Study findings underscore the fundamental importance of social-emotional learning to school success and suggest related measurement issues in social-emotional learning and topics for further research.

Maladaptive adolescent behavior patterns often create escalating conflict with adults and peers, leading to poor long-term social trajectories. To address this, school-based behavior management often consists of contingent reinforcement for appropriate behavior, behavior reduction procedures, and placement in self-contained or alternative settings. Yet, these commonplace practices may not foster the self-regulation processes necessary to override the habitual and negative response sequences that prohibit independent and sustained positive social functioning. As such, we developed "I Control," a curriculum to teach middle school students with significant behavior problems how to engage in appropriate social self-regulation. Pre-post pilot data analyses using "Mplus" from 152 students in 14 schools/17 classrooms indicated that students taught "I Control" evidenced more positive scores than controls on teacher-reported contextualized executive function, externalizing behavior problems, and general problem behavior, and student-reported emotional control, social problem solving, and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Also, students who were taught the curriculum had greater curricular knowledge than control students. These positive findings indicate that "I Control" warrants more extensive investigation.

Using a pre-post randomized controlled trial, the purpose of this study was to determine whether a social problem-solving curriculum, "Take CHARGE!," based on a cognitive-behavioral approach, could improve students' knowledge of problem-solving skills, as well as self-report of social behaviors for 92 middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in 11 self-contained classrooms. Dependent variables included student-report measures of problem-solving knowledge and skills. Findings indicated that the "Take CHARGE!" curriculum was related to significant increases in students' social skills knowledge and problem-solving skills for middle school students with EBD. Teachers were able to implement the curriculum with a high degree of fidelity, and they indicated they would like to continue using it in the future. Implications for practicing teachers support the use of role-plays, think-alouds, and explicit instruction in problem-solving steps. Future research methodologies including observational research and longitudinal exploration are discussed.

Students with significant behavioral and social problems experience some of the poorest outcomes in school and beyond. It is imperative, therefore, that educational researchers and school-based professionals address the needs of students who exhibit maladaptive behavior to alter their poor outcome trajectory. Social problem-solving (SPS) instruction is a promising approach for improving social competence and changing problem behaviors. Despite documented outcomes for SPS instruction in school settings, Coleman, Wheeler, and Webber's review appears to be the most up-to-date compilation of the SPS literature. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present a more current review of the literature on SPS interventions in school settings. We examine and summarize studies investigating SPS interventions in K-12 settings from 1993 to 2015 and discuss findings and implications for educational research and practice.

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.

The aim of the current study was to examine mean-group differences on behavior rating scales and variables that may predict such differences. Sixty-five teachers completed the Clinical Assessment of Behavior-Teacher Form (CAB-T) for a sample of 982 students. Four outcome variables from the CAB-T were assessed. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze variance components across three levels; examine mean-group differences across outcome variables for student gender, race/ethnicity, and free or reduced-price lunch status; and examine whether teacher variables predicted teacher-specific differences in ratings. Results revealed that a significant amount of variance was attributable to teacher- and school-level variables. Several mean-group differences emerged, and some teacher-specific differences in ratings across groups were predicted by teacher self-efficacy for behavior management and teacher age, but not for teacher race/ethnicity, gender, or years of experience.

Researchers have demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies--such as social problem solving--provided in school settings can help ameliorate the developmental risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties. In this study, we report the results of a randomized controlled trial of Tools for Getting Along (TFGA), a social problem-solving universally delivered curriculum designed to reduce the developmental risk for serious emotional or behavioral problems among upper elementary grade students. We analyzed pre-intervention and post-intervention teacher-report and student self-report data from 14 schools, 87 classrooms, and a total of 1296 students using multilevel modeling. Results (effect sizes calculated using Hedges' g) indicated that students who were taught TFGA had a more positive approach to problem solving (g = 0.11) and a more rational problem-solving style (g = 0.16). Treated students with relatively poor baseline scores benefited from TFGA on (a) problem-solving knowledge (g = 1.54); (b) teacher-rated executive functioning (g = 0.35 for Behavior Regulation and 0.32 for Metacognition), and proactive aggression (g = 0.20); and (c) self-reported trait anger (g = 0.17) and anger expression (g = 0.21). Thus, TFGA may reduce risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties by improving students' cognitive and emotional self-regulation and increasing their pro-social choices. (Contains 4 tables.)

Classrooms serving students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are complex environments that include multiple interactions such as those between (a) students and teachers, (b) students and peers, and (c) temporally distant or concurrent classroom-setting factors and subsequent behavioral episodes. As a result, the scientific processes and methods used to investigate the nature of these interactions are often as varied and complex. The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the extent to which research methods and practices evident in current classroom-based studies measure and predict these relationships accurately. To this end, the authors present an overview of common research methodology and related measurement strategies and some considerations for conducting research using these methods in classrooms serving students with or at risk for EBD.

In intervention research, treatment fidelity is defined as the strategies that monitor and enhance the accuracy and consistency of an intervention to ensure it is implemented as planned and that each component is delivered in a comparable manner to all study participants over time. Reviews of the literature in special education and other disciplines reveal that reports of treatment fidelity are limited. In this article, we examine some recommendations made by the National Institutes of Health Behavior Change Consortium that may be adapted to document treatment fidelity in educational research. We discuss the critical importance of planning for, collecting, and reporting treatment fidelity data at each stage of intervention research and discuss the implications of these practices for validity issues, efficacy and effectiveness studies, and cost-benefit considerations. Throughout the article, we use our own classroom-based research to provide examples of expanding treatment fidelity in randomized field trials.

Classroom teachers need effective, efficient strategies to prevent and/or ameliorate destructive student behaviors and increase socially appropriate ones. During the past two decades, researchers have found that cognitive strategies can decrease student disruption/aggression and strengthen pro-social behavior. Following preliminary pilot work, we conducted a study to determine whether a class-wide, social problem-solving curriculum affected measures of knowledge and behavior for 165 4th and 5th grade students at risk for behavior problems. We found significant positive treatment effects on knowledge of problem-solving concepts and teacher ratings of aggression. Outcomes differed across teachers/classrooms, and there was no evidence that booster lessons affected treatment efficacy. Teacher ratings of social validity were generally positive. We discuss issues about classroom-based prevention research and future research directions.

Education professionals consistently rank disruptive/aggressive student behavior as persistent and troubling, reporting various types of maladaptive behaviors ranging from talking out in class to assault. Researchers suggest that childhood aggression accounts for a high proportion of the referrals to special education for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Teachers who work with students with EBD have traditionally relied on externally applied behavioral techniques to manage aggressive behavior, but researchers more recently have studied interventions that use traditional behavioral principles of behavior change along with cognitive components to increase student self-regulation, prevent or ameliorate aggressive behavior patterns, and increase constructive social interactions and long-term behavioral change. With this in mind, we examine aggression from a contextual social cognitive perspective, describe the cognitive-behavioral approach to intervention, provide examples of cognitive-behavioral programs aimed at reducing aggression and teaching appropriate replacement behaviors, and conclude with comments about the future direction of cognitive-behavioral interventions in classrooms for students with EBD.

In this article, we present findings from a comparative study of 3 teacher preparation prototypes: traditional, university-district partnership, and district add-on programs. Samples of program graduates were observed during their 1st year of teaching using the Praxis III assessment. A larger sample completed a follow-up questionnaire assessing preparedness and efficacy, and a subset of them had principals submit ratings. On the observational measure, all teachers met minimum standards, but graduates of traditional programs outperformed their counterparts on several instructional criteria. By contrast, principals' ratings favored graduates of alternative programs, particularly partnership programs. These findings are discussed in terms of the distinction between formal and procedural knowledge, whereas differences between the 2 alternative pathways hint at the superiority of partnership programs or other alternatives with equally rigorous content.

To respond to an increasingly diverse student population, educators need to evaluate how well teacher education programs prepare graduates in culturally responsive teaching (CRT). In this study, we used a performance-based assessment to determine whether (a) different levels of preservice preparation in CRT and (b) preparation in special versus general education affected foundational CRT skills of 68 beginning teacher graduates of 4 traditional university programs. Preparation was designated as high or low according to participants' recollections of preservice coursework and internship experiences. Scores on nine performance criteria selected for their relevance to CRT were analyzed using a 2 X 2 multivariate analysis of variance. We found no differences due to level of preparation in CRT, but special and general education teachers differed on three criteria: knowledge of students' backgrounds, fairness, and extending students' thinking. We discuss implications for future research, measurement, and accountability in teacher education. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

This article describes a conflict resolution and peer mediation program implemented in three middle schools. The program used a school-wide conflict resolution curriculum and enlisted a core group of trained peer mediators in each school. A resolution acceptable to disputing parties was reached more than 95 percent of the time. (Contains 11 references.) (Author/CR)

Examines the efficacy of peer mediation as an alternative to traditional school discipline in middle schools. Discusses the role of social validity in the use of peer mediation, and examines student attitudes toward this strategy based on student interviews. Considers factors in the design of peer mediation programs. (JPB)

Early identification of executive dysfunction and timely school-based intervention efforts are critical for students at risk for problematic behaviors during early elementary school. The original Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) was designed to measure real-world behavioral manifestations of executive functioning, neurocognitive processes critical for school success. With the updated BRIEF-2, independent validation is needed with kindergarten and first grade students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Thus, using item level analyses, we examined the factor structure of the BRIEF-2 Teacher Rating form with 1,112 students. Results indicated little evidence for the original three-index model and supported a modified two-index model, with a Cognitive Regulation Index and an overall Behavior–Emotion Regulation Index. Criterion related validity indicated positive relationships with performance-based executive functioning (Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders) and later internalizing and externalizing behaviors. We discuss implications of findings for early identification and school-based intervention efforts, as well as future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many professional educators are implementing school-based prevention focused on conflict resolution (CR) and peer mediation (PM). The authors conducted research on CR-PM in 3 middle schools. Specifically, they surveyed teachers and students, tracked disciplinary incidents across school years, collected mediation data, and compared mediators with a matched sample to determine attitudinal change as a result of PM training and experience. The authors also surveyed peer mediators and disputants about program satisfaction, as well as peer mediators and their parents about the generalization of PM skills. The authors conclude with implications for developing future CR programs, including a focus on mediation-process evaluation as well as schoolwide outcome measures and the use of peer mediation training as an intervention for students at risk. Key words: attitudinal change, conflict resolution, middle school students, peer mediation, STUDENT VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION have become major concerns for professional educators. Effective preventive programs to ensure school safety and increase appropriate student social interactions are increasingly important. In response to [...]