Neoliberalism, after decades of reform, continues to steer educational policies around the world. As private enterprise encroaches public education, schools are held accountable, tangled up in an internationally competitive culture of achieving benchmarks that meet technically managed standards. Not only is it academic performance that is audited…

How should universities handle cases of student misconduct? While universities cannot make decisions about whether a criminal offence has been committed, they can judge whether there has been a breach of their own code of conduct. This guidance, building on a UUK and Pinsent Mason publication from 2016, sets out principles and practical case…

Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

Concurrent operant assessments (COAs) offer a flexible model for evaluating instructional preferences for students with persistent, escape-motivated interfering behavior. In this article, we define the critical features of COAs and review what types of questions they can address for classroom educators. We then identify and describe a series of…

Academic incivility is a serious concern for higher education. The continuum of incivility to bullying is not agreed upon, but the behaviors associated with these constructs disrupt education at every level. Unaddressed, these behaviors can significantly complicate teaching and learning conditions for students, faculty, and institutions. Acts of…

Special educators who teach students with significant behavioral challenges may encounter frequent classroom crises. In these moments, they may feel overwhelmed, drained, or even reactive, as they navigate environments that may trigger a fight or flight response. Humble and compassionate approaches can lay the foundation for meaningful…

State law (Revised Code of Washington [RCW] 28A.320.130) requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to annually report to the Legislature the number of incidents in violation of RCW 9.41.280, which involves the possession of weapons on school premises, transportation systems, or in areas of facilities while being used…

Behavior is a form of communication. For many young children, they may engage in certain behaviors to consciously or subconsciously communicate a need to access something, such as a desired adult or peer, sensory stimulation, or a tangible item. Other times, children may engage in a behavior to escape or avoid something, such as a particular…

Use of high-probability request sequences is a low-intensity intervention for increasing student compliance. There are several subtleties in implementing high-probability request sequences that make the process more complex. Review of supporting research raises concerns about how well the intervention translates into practice. This article…

In the traditional model of student conduct adjudication, a finding of responsibility often results in prescribed punitive and/or educational outcomes, which may not resonate with the student or evoke deeper learning. Following a student's acceptance of responsibility, the Appreciative Inquiry process provides a highly personal, forward-thinking…

Problem behavior disrupts classrooms across the United States, impacting student learning. Despite the adverse consequences, teachers often exclude disruptive students from school as a punitive and default response to problem behavior. Alternatives to exclusion are becoming increasingly popular in many school districts to improve behavior and keep…

Premack principle, often referred to as Grandma's law, describes how individuals will perform an arduous or undesirable activity if given access to a desirable activity after the completion of the original task. Premack discovered that highly preferred restricted activities in and of themselves can be reinforcing when preceded by activities that…

One antecedent-based intervention -- choice-making opportunities -- is an easy and effective way to motivate students with autism to stay on task, complete academic tasks, and engage in appropriate behavior during academic instruction. The purpose of this article is to discuss three main methods for incorporating choice-making opportunities and…

Intervention is considered the ultimate goal of the diagnostic process. However, when diagnostic assessment is largely focused on student (mal)adjustment and when the role and perspective of the teacher is not systematically evaluated, the assessment may fail to generate useful recommendations for intervention or teacher consultation. Based on a…

How teachers interact with students can have damaging effects on students' self-esteem, which is quite often the antecedent to students' disruptive behaviours in the classroom. The purpose of this article is to encourage teachers to take the initiative step toward improving their classroom climate by identifying their response styles and types of…