| This dissertation sought to gain an understanding of current practices and perspectives of school based professionals, such as directors and coordinators of special education, regarding managing the challenging behaviors of students in public school systems in New Jersey. An electronic survey asked respondents to consider how challenging behaviors are being addressed in their school settings, current and potential benefits of their efforts, and areas for potential improvement. Trends in survey findings, along with reviews of relevant literature, were used to develop a guide to behavior management programming for New Jersey public school professionals, addressing their reported needs while considering available resources. It is anticipated that school administrators, school psychologists, and others may utilize the information collected from the survey along with the guide to behavior management programming in schools to increase their understanding and knowledge toward designing and implementing consultation and related practices in their relevant contexts. Surveys were distributed to New Jersey directors and coordinators of special education. The majority of survey respondents reported having the necessary resources to implement behavior management efforts across settings, describing the greatest benefits as increasing teachers' abilities to manage the challenging behaviors of students and maintaining students with challenging behaviors in district. Areas of need were identified as determining appropriate professionals to facilitate behavior management programming and ensuring ongoing monitoring for effective outcomes. The guide to behavior management programming for New Jersey public school systems outlines a process for designing and implementing behavior management programs and services by using principles and procedures of program planning and evaluation. The guide operationally defines critical components and processes of programming, including ideal and acceptable variations of each. This information targets programmatic tasks, such as obtaining a consultant to facilitate programming, defining roles and responsibilities of participants, planning and implementing program activities, instituting ongoing evaluation of efforts, and making data-based decisions to ensure effective outcomes. Future research in the area of behavior management programming across New Jersey public school systems might focus on the guide developed as a result of these dissertation efforts by surveying school based professionals about application, outcomes, and professional opinions regarding utilization. |
