Limited emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD)-focused intervention mixed methods research (MMR) has been published, particularly in top-tier EBD journals (i.e., "Behavior Disorders" and "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders"). The lack of published MMR creates what could be perceived as a Catch-22 situation wherein…

Teacher-Student Relationships (TSRs) contribute to a wide range of positive outcomes for K-12 students. However, many practitioners struggle to build positive relationships with students with challenging behaviors. In this article, we describe how TSR interventions can be structured using an established and common framework: Multi-Tiered Systems…

There are many integrated Multi-tiered Systems of Support (iMTSS), which we refer to as integrated-tiered systems. These systems hold benefits for students with disabilities, as such systems have the potential to facilitate inclusion and focus the collective expertise of educators committed to meeting students' multiple needs. The Comprehensive,…

Children on the spectrum often require both formal services and natural unpaid support from caregivers. Recent autism surveillance study in the US has reported an increase in racially/ethnically diverse autistic children (Maenner et al. in MMWR Surveillance Summaries 72(2):1, 2023). Standing at the intersection of race, disability and sometimes…

This document provides information to contextualize Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) in the classroom for deaf students to better address unique needs and create more effective learning environments. Guided by PBIS core features, "top ten" practices are identified to support and respond to students' social,…

This commentary outlines the potential benefits of applying advances in the science of learning and development to special education service delivery and research. Building from a dynamic ecological systems perspective of development, it is argued that special education should focus on the whole child in context to leverage the correlated…

The purpose of this paper is to define and describe the 'Telos' or purpose of special education. We argue that special education has three main (tripartite) functions: (a) research, (b) a distinct system, and (c) special instruction. The overall Telos of special education is to provide an educational service to better serve students whose…

This case highlights the moral and ethical dilemmas that principals and educators confront when making decisions about special education classification and placement, particularly in the context of racial disproportionality. These decisions are complex, influenced by the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and…

Currently many schools engage in a systematic process, called a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), that simultaneously accounts for every student's academic progress and instructional needs. A central tenet of an MTSS framework is providing remedial, increasingly intensive, small group instruction to students who are not demonstrating…

This brief highlights how CEEDAR's model for cross-state learning groups (CSLGs) provides ongoing opportunities for virtual collaboration between states. CSLGs provide a structure to leverage the collective knowledge and resources of the CEEDAR network while building relationships between state-level leadership teams, partner organizations, and…

There are a range of policies and systems to support learners who benefit from specialized or supplemental services and supports to promote their educational access and participation. Federal laws provide for programming and resources to support disabled and homeless students, respectively, but efforts can be siloed. This can be especially…

The IDEA requires schools to evaluate and provide services to students who have a mental health issue that is deemed an educational disability or a mental health issue that is comorbid with an educational disability. Etscheidt and colleagues (this issue) propose a six component approach to securing school-based mental health services for students…

Online education programs are on the rise and institutions of higher learning are utilizing Learning Management Systems (LMS) to facilitate online learning. The Community of Inquiry (CoI; Garrison et al., 1999) framework identifies three categories of cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence to guide the development of online…

This Fast Five defines the role of accelerated learning to support all students, but specifically students with disabilities. This Fast Five provides considerations and ideas to support LEA's to plan for and implement accelerated learning.

For Wisconsin schools and districts, implementing an equitable multi-level system of supports means providing equitable services, practices, and resources to every learner based upon responsiveness to effective instruction and intervention. In this system, high quality instruction, strategic use of data, and collaboration interact within a…