Self-monitoring is one of the most widely used and widely researched strategies for improving student behavior. However, specific research-based guidance about how to design effective self-monitoring interventions and to whom they should be delivered does not yet exist. To this end, we examined how various treatment components and participant characteristics moderated response to self-monitoring interventions. We included 66 single-case studies on academic engagement and 21 single-case studies on disruptive behavior. These studies included 290 participants with challenging behavior, 183 of whom had a disability. After extracting raw data from original studies, we analyzed data using multilevel modeling for each dependent variable (i.e., academic engagement, disruptive behavior). Across both dependent variables, student age and educational setting impacted treatment effects, as did the inclusion of goal-setting, feedback, and reinforcement. Based on our findings, we describe implications related to designing self-monitoring interventions. We also discuss limitations and future directions.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine burnout profiles and organizational variables that impact burnout in school mental health providers, such as school counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and interventionists. We disseminated a survey to a large sample of school personnel across a Midwestern state. From the larger sample, we analyzed responses from school mental health providers (n = 120), as there are severe shortages of these professionals within the state and across the country. When shortages occur, caseloads are higher, thus increasing the work demands and the propensity for burnout. With burnout leading to attrition from the field, this creates a vicious cycle that could be prevented through the awareness and implementation of strategies to counteract the factors contributing to burnout. Results indicate school mental health providers (n = 120) in this state endure high levels of emotional exhaustion, while still maintaining a sense of personal accomplishment. Further, higher levels of perceived organizational support and job satisfaction appeared to lower burnout, whereas respondents who worked in schools implementing a multi-tiered system of support experienced higher burnout. Key findings, implications for practice, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Assessing the extent to which interventions might generalize involves an understanding of for whom and in what contexts interventions have succeeded. Identifying the characteristics of service recipients as well as observers, teachers, and other members of implementation teams involved in intervention research represents an emerging consideration in special education literature involving single-case designs. In addition, the effectiveness of interventions for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may be influenced by cultural, linguistic, and economic differences between students and interventionists. This review describes the characteristics of students with EBD and implementation teams featured in single-case design behavior intervention studies published in nine special education journals from 2000 to 2020. Screening of available studies ( n = 4,877) resulted in a sample of 140 articles. Reports of student demographic data were high (66.4%–98.6% of articles depending on the variable); however, authors typically did not describe students’ socioeconomic status (SES). Information regarding implementation teams varied from 1.4% to 46% of articles depending on the variable. Implications for future research follows a discussion of findings.

The use of teacher praise is considered an evidence-based practice, yet little praise research has taken place in secondary school settings. Due to developmental differences, high school students likely present unique preferences for praise and reprimand compared to younger students. Therefore, there is a need to study high school students’ preferences for evidenced-based strategies. A total of 55 high school students from seven states in the United States, participated in a pilot survey examining preferences for praise and reprimand. Most students reported receiving praise for schoolwork and appropriate behavior was acceptable and receiving rewards (for work and behavior), while still acceptable, was less favorable than praise. Students preferred private praise, messages sent home to parents/guardians, and get out of work passes. Students least preferred public posts or school displays, no recognition, and praise out loud. For reprimands, students most preferred private verbal or written reprimands and least preferred detention or Saturday school. Implications for maximizing praise with high school students by considering student preferences and future research directions are offered.

Interventions for students with or at-risk of emotional/behavioral disorders (EBDs) frequently target idiosyncratic behaviors defined by teachers, behavior specialists, or researchers. Consequently, the extent to which a problem behavior exists and the operationalization of the problem behavior largely depend on the perceptions of school staff. A number of research practices, including the use of standardized screening measures and the assessment of social validity, are designed to ensure that students who receive behavior interventions present with legitimate problems that are meaningful to stakeholders. The prevalence of such methods in recent studies for children with EBD remains unclear. This review examined the use of methods to validate the need for behavior intervention in single-case design studies involving EBD published in Behavior Disorders from 2000 to 2021. Identified articles ( n = 34) featured 129 student participants. Teachers were typically responsible for identifying study participants; however, standardized screening methods were used in most articles. Targeted behaviors were generally created by researchers or teachers. Task engagement represented the dependent variable in more than 50% of studies. Less than half of the articles featured social validity, with many procedures assessing both teacher and student perspectives. Key findings, limitations, and implications for research and practice are discussed.