The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Hemmeter, Fox, & Snyder, 2013), or the Pyramid Model, is a conceptual framework focused on systemic and sustained implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) related to promoting social emotional competence and preventing challenging behaviors in…

As a result of the upcoming Federal reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), practitioners and researchers have begun vigorously debating what constitutes evidence-based assessment for the identification of specific learning disability (SLD). This debate has resulted in strong support for a method that…

Response to intervention (RTI) emerged from the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but the roots of RTI are found embedded within the history of the field of learning disabilities (LD) as well as other sources of influence. In what follows, we provide a brief history of LD and highlight the connection between…

Debate is occurring about which result interpretation aides focused on examining the experimental effect should be used in single-subject experimental research. In this study, we examined seven nonoverlap methods and compared results using each method to judgments of two visual analysts. The data sources for the present study were 36 studies…

This article provides an overview of a grant project designed to create a district-wide elementary school counseling program with a strong data-based decision-making process. Project goals included building data literacy skills among school counselors and developing the infrastructure to efficiently collect important social-emotional indicators…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 put a focus on each child in a school being proficient. Since 1957 when Sputnik was launched, the United States has been attempting to improve its schools. The existing literature has a gap as to how to turn around an underperforming school in a fairly short period of time. A qualitative case study methodology…

Today, more than ever, teachers must work effectively and efficiently to meet seemingly contradictory demands placed on them by society. On the one hand, school personnel are tasked with attaining and publicly reporting high levels of student achievement in response to No Child Left Behind. On the other, school personnel must ensure that students…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation spawned a plethora of standardized testing services for all the high stakes testing required by the law. We argue that one-size-fits all assessments disadvantage students who are English Language Learners, in the USA, as well as students with limited economic resources, special needs, and not reading on…

This report addresses the question: "Where do interventions for concerns about substance use fit into the work of schools?" By way of background, we begin by differentiating between use and abuse and briefly summarizing some major issues and data relevant to substance use and treatment of abuse and dependency. And, to highlight the…

Early education has been a growing priority for the Obama administration, and its competitive funding is spurring innovation in this field around the country. In 2013, early education journalist Paul Nyhan, author of this report, conducted case studies of four competitive grant programs that are triggering changes in early education: "Race to…

Many states have begun the process of developing or adapting English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards to align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This need stems not only from a desire to ensure that "all" students receive the rigorous and systematic education…

Education reform has been on a new path over the last 15 years; a path that leads to more accountability, more choice for students and parents, highly qualified teachers, as well as, best practices in instruction. In an effort to move along the path of reform and as a result of previous reform, the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA reviewed the field…

A model of treatment acceptability is proposed that distributes overall treatment acceptability into three separate categories of influence. The categories are comprised of societal influences, consultant influences, and influences associated with consumers of treatments. Each of these categories are defined and their inter-relationships within…

Response to intervention (RTI) is a framework for providing high-quality instruction and intervention matched to students' individual needs. It includes the practice of frequent progress monitoring and use of data to make educational decisions about instructional and grouping practices as well as the duration, frequency, and amount of time…

A study of the employment problems facing physically and mentally handicapped youth is reported. To illustrate the main points, results of extensive interviews with seven handicapped youth are juxtaposed with statistics and findings. The study looks at tne continuum of services offered to handicapped individuals, including understanding the…