The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a behavioral based intervention program on minority student behavior. The Breakfast Club was an intervention created with the goal of improving the negative behavior of minority adolescent students. The participants in this study were minority, high school students who displayed frequent…

In this dissertation an integrated intervention in high schools is proposed for students with anxiety that combines CBT and yoga methods. The development of this program was derived from a critical review of the literature on CBT and yoga programs in high school that aim to reduce anxiety in students. Thirteen studies that used CBT programs and…

Schools utilize a range of consequences to maintain order and safety. Some employ zero-tolerance policies accompanied by exclusionary tactics like suspension (Martinez, 2009; Muschert et al., 2014). Suspensions are criticized for their disproportionate assignment to students who are Black, male, assigned an IEP, and receiving lunch assistance…

The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has continued to increase since the advent of Zero Tolerance discipline policies in the 1990s. Research indicates that these practices are largely ineffective in addressing behavior, and result in detrimental outcomes for students and communities. This study focused on the use of Disciplinary…

The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore middle school and/or high school teachers' experience and decision-making processes regarding writing disciplinary referrals for African American students demonstrating disruptive behavior in the classroom. "How do teachers describe their experiences and decision-making processes in…

Teachers often receive little formal training in how to effectively intervene when a student is behaving in a non-productive manner. Research shows that punitive consequences are usually not effective and are connected to negative outcomes for students. This study aimed to provide teachers with a working knowledge of Scott and Colvin's…

Most school districts across the United States face the challenge of chronic absenteeism among their student populations as a barrier to appropriate delivery of the educational process. Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS), is a research-based system designed to target and improve undesirable student behaviors. This quantitative study…

Students' misbehaviors at younger ages can lead to more significant issues at the high school level such as dropping out, drug and alcohol abuse, and incarceration. The purpose of this study was to examine high school students' perceptions of positive reinforcement and punishment practices in their high school's behavior system. Two specific…

The neurodiversity model of disability is a relatively new approach to teaching and working with autistic individuals. As a result, many interventions align with earlier models of disability, such as the medical and social models, and aim to assimilate autistic individuals among their neurotypical peers rather than celebrate their differences as…

Access to inclusive school settings is associated with many benefits for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the areas of academics (Agran et al., 2020; Kurth & Mastergeorge, 2010), social skills (Kleinert et al., 2015; Lyons et al., 2011; Schwab et al., 2015), and communication skills (Ballard & Dymond, 2017;…

The current study added to the growing literature on school-based dialectical behavior therapy (SB-DBT) by examining the implementation of a SB-DBT intervention with high school students. It was hypothesized that students' perceived emotion regulation and adaptive coping would improve whereas reports of dysfunctional coping would decrease from…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how certified 9th-12th grade public school teachers who have one year of teaching and implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in the classroom describe their perception of PBIS and the influence of teacher perception on the implementation of PBIS with…

This dissertation is an exploration of the experiences and perceptions the behavior support plan (BSP) had on individuals placed into residential services or an independent living facility through a state waiver in Indianapolis, Indiana. Autistic high school graduates were addressed in this study to look at the various behaviors they faced when…

The presented challenge in education revolves around the effective utilization of differentiated and individualized instruction by special education teachers, aiming to address the unique needs of students with learning disabilities. This study's purpose was to identify ways to use these instructional methods to develop methods that create better…

Secondary public education for students with severe disabilities offers some of the last opportunities for improved social/behavioral skills, activities of daily living, and cognitive/academic instruction. The problem is that thorough descriptions of self-contained classroom ecology and teachers' use of evidence-based strategies are limited.…