Both No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act require educators to use research-validated practices in classrooms. And yet education, special education, and the field of emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) continue to show large gaps in the consistent use of best practices. The authors propose that the research-to-practice gap can be traced to the lack of clear, consistent criteria to determine what are research-based practices and the absence of support structures to assist educators in implementing such practices. A four-phase review process was developed based on current recommendations from the E/BD literature, and a brief review of classroom-based strategies was conducted. Four practices were identified as being research based. The authors discuss each of these practices and call for the field of special education, and E/BD in particular, to develop and adopt a universal set of standards to determine research-based practice and look to school systems to support their use.

This study investigated the use of practitioner-implemented structural analyses to determine setting events affecting the disruptive behavior of two male students with EBD in a self-contained classroom. Descriptive measures (PBQ, SEII, and direct observation) and analogue probes were employed and contrasted. An ABA reversal design was used to compare intervention packages; maintenance and social validity data were also obtained. Findings indicate that structural analyses can be implemented by a practitioner and can lead to the development of successful interventions within educational settings. Implications for broad implementation and future research are also discussed.

Corresponding with the 30th year following the passage of P.L. 94-142, a task force of the Council for Exceptional Children Division of Research published a set of articles outlining quality indicators (QIs) for research and evidence-based practice in special education. This article details the operationalization and application of QIs for single-participant designs in the area of academic instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The method used was a descriptive analysis of special education research . The outcomes reveal (a) more than half of the eligible studies failed to meet minimal QIs, (b) there were common variations across QIs, and (c) numerous interventions are supported by studies that met minimal QIs. Future research and limitations of the study are provided.