A Commentary on the Misalignment of Teacher Education and the Need for Classroom Behavior Management Skills.
Teacher colleges skip behavior management—hand them a ready ABA course pack so new teachers start with tools, not trial-and-error.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors reviewed teacher-education programs across the United States. They asked one question: how many courses train teachers to manage classroom behavior?
Their tally showed most programs require zero behavior-management credits. New teachers leave college with no ABA-based tools for handling disruptive students.
What they found
The paper calls the gap a “misalignment.” Universities focus on lesson plans, not on how to stop call-outs or running.
Result: teachers burn out and turn to suspensions or yelling because they lack other tools.
How this fits with other research
Lowrey et al. (2017) interviewed general-ed teachers and heard the same story. Teachers talked about UDL and inclusion but could not link those ideas to real behavior plans. Their words proved the knowledge gap Mulder et al. (2020) describe.
Kim et al. (2023) gives the fix. The study shows individual-operant mastery criteria cut sight-word teaching time in half. That same quick-pacing method can teach classroom routines; it just needs to live inside teacher-prep courses.
Esbensen (2016) mirrors the problem in medical schools. Doctors also leave school unprepared for patients with IDD. Both papers push the same action: add mandatory behavior coursework to professional training.
Why it matters
You can’t fix teacher burnout with pep talks. Give universities the Kim et al. (2023) protocol and require a three-credit ABA classroom-management class. New teachers walk in ready to reinforce on-task behavior instead of sending kids to the office.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Teachers' skill in fostering students' engagement and limiting disruptive behavior is important for maintaining a safe, productive, and effective learning environment. Yet, teachers lacking specific training in classroom and behavior management continue to report high levels of stress and are more likely to leave the profession (Ingersoll, Merrill, et al., Seven trends: The transformation of the teaching force, 2018; Zabel & Zabel, Journal of Special Education Leadership, 15(2), 67-73, 2002). Despite wide agreement from experts about the importance of developing classroom and behavior management skills, many teacher training programs do not require specified coursework or experiences to develop this skill set for teacher licensure or degree completion. In this article, we describe what we observe to be a disconnect between current requirements of teacher preparation programs, and the nature of adequate teacher training to appropriately manage and support student behavior. We argue that this disconnect currently contributes to a host of problematic outcomes observable in schools, including teacher attrition, racial disproportionality in discipline actions, and an overreliance on punitive and ineffective behavior support practices. We end our discussion with additional recommendations for improving teacher training and ensuring systems alignment.
Education & treatment of children, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.tate.2014.12.005