GROWING STRAIGHT AND TALL: THE SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ IMMERSION IN A SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING INITIATIVE ON REPORTED DISCIPLINARY INFRACTIONS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

Students with disabilities (SWD) continue to experience exclusionary discipline at disproportionately higher rates than their peers, despite federal policies intended to promote equitable practices. These outcomes are often linked to unmet social, emotional, and behavioral needs, as well as inconsistent school-level supports, particularly within special education settings. Set in a rural, low socioeconomic middle school in North Carolina, this study examined how the SEL professional learning, and a specific SEL-aligned character education program, The Positivity Project, impacted (a) the number of disciplinary referrals issued by those participating teachers to SWD, (b) teacher perception and understanding of SWD behavior and (c) how they administered discipline, and (d) the participating teachers’ self-efficacy. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, and Seligman’s PERMA model, this study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design that also indexed outcomes against data from a comparison site. Quantitative findings showed a substantial reduction in discipline disproportionality at the intervention school (RDR decreased from 33 to 10), while the comparison school showed no corresponding change. Teachers at the intervention school also reduced reliance on exclusionary discipline and adopted more proactive practices. Qualitative findings revealed a shift in teachers’ understanding of student behavior—from viewing it as defiance to recognizing it as an expression of need. Although self-efficacy did not increase quantitatively, it was redefined through relationships, reflection, and contextual understanding. These findings suggest an association between SEL professional learning and a shift in teacher beliefs and practices, serving as a key mechanism for improving self-efficacy, reducing discipline disproportionality, and improving outcomes for SWD.