Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Improving Academic Achievement.

Abstract

ost teachers can quicklyname at least one studentthey clearly remember aschallenging their classroommanagement skills. Most likely, thememory conjures up recollections ofinappropriate outbursts, defiantremarks, enticing other students intonegative interactions, and evenphysically harmful or injuriousbehaviors. These behaviors are typicalof many students identified withemotional and behavioral disorders(EBD) and especially of those withexternalizing behavior disorders(Kauffman & Landrum, 2009).As Kim, Forness, and Walker(2012; this issue) pointed out,although the rate at which studentsare identified as having EBD forspecial education purposes has notvaried tremendously from about 1%of the school-aged population formore than 30 years, the need (i.e.,how many students really have EBD)is probably much greater. Kim et al.offered a conservative estimate that atleast 12% of the school-agedpopulation probably has childhoodmental health disorders that maywarrant special education services.This of course does not include thosestudents whose challenging behavioris troublesome but has yet to meet thethreshold of identification as havingEBD. The point is simply that it ishighly likely that teachers willencounter students with EBD in theirclassrooms and in fact even morelikely that they will observe behaviorproblems typically associated withEBD in any number of students withand without disabilities on a regularbasis. In a review of publishedliterature on EBD, Gage, Lewis, andAdamson (2010) found that morearticles were written about trainingteachers, teacher perceptions, andteacher behaviors than any othertopic in the literature on studentswith EBD, which may validate thefrustrations teachers undoubtedlyexperience working with this groupof children. No doubt, thesefrustrations stem largely from howdifficult it is to effectively manageand effectively instruct students withor at risk for EBD. These frustrationsseem unlikely to go away any timesoon, with the current focus onpushing students to meet highstandards on state proficiency tests,as well as the trend toward inclusiveeducation and co-teaching, which toooften may occur without sufficientpreparation and co-planning to allowteachers to work out an effectiveapproach to classroom managementin their increasingly diverseclassrooms (Niesyn, 2009).We know that students with EBDhave problematic behavior andimpaired social skills that interferewith developing friendships, but thesesame challenges also lead to negativeimpacts on student learning andacademic achievement (Trout,Nordness, Pierce, & Epstein, 2003).Providing teachers with effectivestrategies and practices that have beenshown to work with students whohave EBD and that focus on academicsis crucial given the current focus onhigh-stakes testing and increasedgraduation requirements (Ysseldyke,2004), as well as the increasingacknowledgment that strong academicinstruction and interventions may bethe first line of defense in workingeffectively with students with EBD.The Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act of 2004 promotes therigorous use of scientifically basedresearch practices in the educationaldecision-making process for studentswith disabilities, including studentswith EBD. However, absent from thedebate regarding how to best identifyand use so-called evidence-basedpractices (EBPs) was the voice ofteachers, who in fact hold the key toensuring that once evidence-basedpractices are identified, they areactually implemented correctly inclassrooms. Teachers often feel theyhave limited access to research, andwhen they do take the time to findand read research, it often fails toclearly address the unique needs oftheir students (Boardman, Arguellas,Vaughn, Hughes, & Klingner, 2005).Moreover, research is often describedin academic journals using terms andstatistics that teachers are not trainedto understand. Thus, many teachersfeel distrustful toward research and,by extension, toward practicesidentified as effective based onresearch findings. But teachersshould not view EBPs as imposedupon them by researchers to limittheir instructional options andcontrol. Rather, EBPs should be seenas a resource that allows teachers toquickly identify and considerpractices that are more likely to workfor their students. To address theseconcerns, in this article we (a) providean overview of EBPs and theirimportance for students with EBD,(b) describe two EBPs shown to beeffective in increasing academicoutcomes for students with EBD, and(c) assist teachers in locating andimplementing additional EBPs byproviding a step-by-step guide.Why Use Evidence-Based Practices?A growing body of literature onEBPs has emerged as a promising