Incorporating High-Leverage Practice 7 in Classroom/Behavior Management Courses

Creating Supportive Learning Environments

Abstract

In a joint effort, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) published instructional practice guides for special educators called High-Leverage Practices (McLeskey et al., 2017). These High Leverage Practices focus on four areas of practice (collaboration, assessment, instruction, and social/emotional/behavioral). High Leverage Practice 7 (HLP 7) is under the social/emotional/behavioral domain and guides teachers to establish positive and constructive learning environments for students. For special education training programs, opportunities to focus on HLP 7 can be presented in classroom/behavior management courses as a function of setting up classroom structure (atmosphere, rules, and procedures) that support developing positive, culturally responsive learning environments and student-teacher relationships. This paper provides support for why topics should focus on HLP 7 and how topics of structure, culturally responsive teaching, student-teacher relationship development, and social emotional learning should be included in classroom/behavior management courses in special education training programs.