Special Education Teacher Preparation in Classroom Management: Implications for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

TLDR

Special education teacher preparation must equip teachers with classroom organization and behavior management skills, yet research shows a lack of systematic instruction in these areas for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The authors reviewed course syllabi from 26 special education teacher preparation programs to assess how classroom organization and management are taught. The review revealed wide variability, with most programs offering only reactive strategies and only 27 % providing a dedicated classroom‑management course, while the remaining 73 % spread content across multiple courses.

Abstract

Special education teachers’ skills with classroom organization and behavior management affect the emergence and persistence of behavior problems as well as the success of inclusive practice for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Adequate special education teacher preparation and strong classroom organization and behavior management skills are critical for teachers of students with EBD. Little research has been conducted to determine the extent to which special education teacher preparation programs provide teachers with adequate instruction on classroom organization and behavior management techniques. Course syllabi from 26 special education teacher preparation programs were reviewed. Results indicate a highly variable emphasis on classroom organization and management between programs. Programs tended to emphasize reactive procedures. Only 27% (n = 7) of the university programs had an entire course devoted to classroom management. The remaining 73% (n = 19) of university programs had content related to behavior management dispersed within various courses. Limitations and implications for special education teacher preparation and inclusive practices are discussed.