Event Archives

Policy Challenges Conference: Bridging Research and Practice
Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom

January 26, 2010
Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center
Framingham, Massachusetts

Hosted by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands and Northeast Regional Resource Center

VIEW POWERPOINT SLIDES (14.7 MB)

This event was an outgrowth of the 2009 Massachusetts Special Education Leadership Academy. One issue the leaders were probing was how to better connect special-education teachers and leaders with their general-education colleagues to address the needs of all students. The event brought Dr. Krista Kutash of the University of South Florida to Massachusetts to present the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guide, “Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom.” The Practice Guide includes five evidence-based recommendations to improve classroom behavior, along with implementation steps associated with them.

Conference participants included teams of educators from districts across Massachusetts. The teams were led by Special Education Directors who invited district principals, general education teachers, special education teachers, and parent advocates to attend. Following Dr. Kutash’s presentation, the district teams convened to discuss how to move the recommendations into practice in their particular settings. Dr. Kutash met with each team to answer questions and provide counsel on the Practice Guide.

Featured Speaker:

Dr. Krista Kutash is Professor and Deputy Director of the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health at the University of South Florida, and co-author of the IES Practice Guide, “Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom.” She has conducted field research on issues related to children with disabilities and their families in 27 states and in more than 200 school districts and 60 mental health facilities. She co-authored Outcomes for Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Their Families and co-edits the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

More Information:

Additional Materials:

• Conference Agenda
• Planning Implementation Template