Calling on District Leaders: Supporting Self-Contained Programs for Students With Significant Behavior Support Needs

Nearly 31% of school-aged students labeled with emotional disturbance spend most of their school day in self-contained classrooms. Thus, it is critical for district leaders to understand how to support educators’ capacity to provide effective services for students with significant behavior-support needs. We overview how district leaders can establish the conditions educators need to run these programs effectively. Recommendations focus on establishing strong placement criteria and procedures and providing appropriate resources to the program.