Administrative support for EBD services
How about some free articles examining special class services?
The December 2025 issue of Beyond Behavior, a publication of the Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health, includes a collection of articles examining administrative support for special class services for children and youths with emotional and behavioral disorders. The papers address diverse pressing issues ranging from why students need support, collaboration, special class placements, and support for new teachers. Those readers of Special Education Today who are concerned about students with EBD, special education teachers, program design and management, and many other aspects of special education will likely benefit from reading these articles.
The special series of articles was assembled by Shanna Hirsch and Elizabeth Bettini, professors at the University of Maryland and Boston University respectively.1 They enticed excellent author teams to contribute papers. The editors of Beyond Behavior provided an admirable summary in their introduction to the special issue:
Students with significant behavior support needs who are served in self-contained settings often require the best—and most—of educators. That is why we are extremely appreciative of Guest Editors Shanna Hirsch and Elizabeth Bettini for organizing this special series on supports that administrators can provide to teachers who serve in this dynamic and influential role. Volume 34, Issue 3 includes a series of six articles that provide school administrators and district leaders with research- and practice-informed suggestions for how to support both new and veteran teachers alike. Drs. Hirsch and Bettini have assembled a group of author teams—themselves included—who have studied these unique environments and what it takes to enable the successful provision of specially designed instruction that often must meet a myriad of student needs. It is important to chronicle the suggestions and associated rationales in this space given the general lack of knowledge of effective special education practice that is produced during administration preparation programming (Casale et al., 2024).
Some of the constituent articles are available for free thanks to DEBH and the Hammill Institute for Disabilities. Here is a list of the contents with links (see which ones work for you):
Paul Mooney & Joseph B. Ryan: About the Special Series on Leaders and Fostering Self-Contained Programming
Elizabeth Bettini & Shanna Hirsch: Calling on District Leaders: Supporting Self-Contained Programs for Students With Significant Behavior Support Needs
Thomas Farmer & Kevin Sutherland: The Origins and Plasticity of Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Why Some Students Have Intensive Needs and What Leaders Can Do
Shanna Hirsch, Steven Rufe, & Hannah Mathews: Developing Impactful Professional Learning Experiences for Special Educators Through a Community of Practice Lens
Stephanie Courson, Meghan Edwards-Bowyer, & Lauren Evanovich: Better Together: Using Multidisciplinary Teams for Systematic Functional Behavior Assessment and Intervention Planning for Students With Extensive Behavior Support Needs
Lindsay Fallon, Diana Laenen, & Emily Romero: Advancing Racial Equity With Multitiered Systems of Supports for Behavior in Self-Contained Classrooms
Jonte’ Taylor, Lydia Beahm, Michael Oliver, Millie Rodrigues, and Devon Carter: Administrative Support for New Teachers of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Behavior Support Classrooms
Check ‘em out!
Footnote
Both Liz and Shanna are regular readers of SET, so Dear Readers, you can find them here among the subscribers.