Teacher Competence, Student Diversity, and Staff Training for the Inclusion of Middle School Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

The findings from the pilot phase of Project Destiny, a 3-year research and training project concerning the knowledge and skills that middle school teachers need to educate students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in inclusive settings, are reported. Teachers' self-ratings concerning their knowledge base and skill mastery in the area of EBD were assessed and analyzed. Results of the teacher self-assessments are reported in relation to their ratings of the diverse academic, social, and emotional behaviors of their students in these inclusive classrooms. These initial results suggest that teachers viewed themselves as having only little-to-some competence for working with the academic and behavioral challenges that students with EBD present. The Project Destiny Training Model was empirically developed from these preliminary results, and initial staff development activities in the model are discussed in terms of their value for expanding the knowledge, skills, and strategies of teachers in inclusive settings.

Transitioning Youth from Residential Treatment to the Community: A Preliminary Investigation

“…Responses of Somewhat concerned and Very concerned (vs. Not at all concerned) were collapsed to create a percentage of concern expressed by each group of respondents after discharge. Given survey findings indicating that the overwhelming majority of general and special education teachers do not think that general education teachers have the skills to educate students with emotional and behavioral disorders (Cheney & Barringer, 1995), it is likely that consultation between the RTC staff and the home school personnel may be beneficial to meet the individual needs of the adolescents upon discharge. It should be noted that only RTC staff, not teachers at the residential school, were included in this study, so results may have differed if the educational staff were interviewed.…”

Caregiver Involvement in the Intensive Mental Health Program: Influence on Changes in Child Functioning

“…Cerio (as cited in Vanderbleek 2004) indicated that in school initiated mental health services, family involvement was found to be fundamental in both service utilization and effectiveness. Likewise, a number of studies reported an association between increased caregiver involvement and positive mental health outcomes for adolescents in a variety of programs and settings (Cheney and Barringer 1995;Comer et al 1996;Dishion and Kavanagh 2000;Noser and Bickman 2000;Waugh and Kjos 1992). While promising, an examination of the literature reflects at least four areas of study that need to be targeted in future research.…”

Positive Support Strategies for Students with Behavioral Disorders in General Education Settings

“…Furthermore, barriers to effective programming in general education settings often include a lack of resources (e.g., special education consultation, paraprofessional support, specialized assessments and planning) and a lack of appropriate training for general education personnel (Cheney & Barringer, 1995;MacMillan, Gresham, & Forness, 1996;Walker & Bullis, 1990). When considered in the context of the increasing demands on general education teachers for academic accountability, it is understandable that there are concerns about retaining students with behavioral disorders in general education rather than simply moving the students to alternative (i.e., special education) classrooms.…”