Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Supports in Schools

Sara C. McDaniel, PhD, is Professor of Special Education at the University of Alabama and Director of the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and Mental Health Systems. Dr. McDaniel conducts research, publishes, and leads educators in the areas of positive behavioral interventions and supports; classroom management assessment and coaching; Tier 2 social, emotional, and behavioral supports; and preventive treatments for diverse populations of students at high risk. She is the recipient of awards from the Association for Positive Behavior Support, the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Research, and the University of Alabama, among other honors.

Allison L. Bruhn, PhD, is Professor of Special Education at the University of Iowa, Executive Director of the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health, and Co-Director of the METRICS National Technical Assistance Center for supporting school mental health. A former middle school teacher, she is an associate editor of Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions and the developer of three mobile apps. Dr. Bruhn's work focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions and assessments to improve outcomes for students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders and the teachers who serve them. She is committed to bridging the research to practice gap by engaging educational stakeholders in relationship building, effective professional development, and collaborative research design and dissemination.

Sara Estrapala, PhD, is Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research focuses on Tier 1 and Tier 2 positive behavioral interventions and supports in high schools. She is particularly interested in studying student voice, self-regulation development, and usability and feasibility of implementation in the high school context. Dr. Estrapala has taught courses in functional behavioral assessment and in behavior and classroom management in elementary and high school settings. She is committed to translating research to practice by providing professional development for inservice and preservice teachers, writing for practitioner journals, and presenting at practitioner-focused professional conferences.