U.S. Department of Education/Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services/Institute of Education Sciences (Multi-site grant with Vanderbilt and Virginia Commonwealth University).

2004-2008

$820,000

This project addresses a question of fundamental importance to behavior management practices and policy: Does a comprehensive intervention that combines effective classroom management practices and academic tutoring result in students with severe problem behaviors demonstrating decreased levels of aggressive and disruptive behavior and increased levels of academic achievement when compared to students who receive services provided by public schools? The specific aims of the project are: (a) using a multi-site research team, evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention, combining classroom management strategies and academic tutoring; (b) analysis of the public school strategies for addressing severe problem behavior; (c) identification of barriers to the implementation of effective classroom management strategies; and (d) comparison of the costs associated with implementation of the proposed intervention and current public school policies. The project is being carried out at three sites (Nashville, TN/Vanderbilt University; Minneapolis, MN/University of Minnesota; Richmond, VA/Virginia Commonwealth University.

Participants consist of 360 students, 1st through 4th grade, who are identified as displaying severe problem behavior in school settings. Sixty percent of the sample are from special education classrooms serving students with emotional/behavioral disorders and 40% from students enrolled in general education classrooms. Students were recruited through school districts at each location and are randomly assigned to one of two groups: behavior management plus academic tutoring (intervention group) or treatment-as-usual (control group). The intervention consists of extensive training of classroom teachers in the area of classroom behavior management with an emphasis on high quality teacher-student interactions. In addition, students will receive 90 minutes of academic tutoring per week in the area of reading. Students who are assigned to the control group will receive usual treatment provided by each local school district. Participants will be assessed at three time points throughout each year of the project, including a one year follow-up. Assessments will focus on (a) observations and rating of student problem behavior, (b) observations and ratings of teacher-student interactions, (c) fidelity of treatment in both intervention and control classrooms, (d) measures of academic achievement, and (e) cost-effectiveness data.