Preventing Problem Behaviors

Bob Algozzine is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina and project codirector of the U.S. Department of Education-supported Behavior and Reading Improvement Center. With 25 years of research experience and extensive firsthand knowledge of teaching students classified as seriously emotionally disturbed, Algozzine is a uniquely qualified staff developer, conference speaker, and teacher of behavior management and effective teaching courses. He is active in special education practice as a partner and collaborator with professionals in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools in North Carolina and as an editor of several journals focused on special education. Algozzine has written more than 250 manuscripts on special education topics, including many books and textbooks on how to manage emotional and social behavior problems. Ann P. Daunic is an Associate Scholar in the Department of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. For the past 12 years, she has directed applied research projects focused on the prevention of problem behaviors through school- and classroom-based interventions including conflict resolution, peer mediation and instruction in social problem solving. Her interest in preventive interventions for students at risk for school failure reflects an academic background in psychology and her experience as a college counselor for economically and educationally disadvantaged students from the New York City metropolitan area. She has also served as a private high school administrator and guidance counselor, collaborating with teachers and parents to address the social and instructional needs of students with behavioral and academic difficulties. She is currently director of the Prevention Research Project, a four-year study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences to evaluate the efficacy of a social problem-solving curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students. Associated research interests include merging social-emotional and academic learning and the role of social cognition in the self-regulation of emotions and behavior. Stephen W. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Florida (UF). Prior to receiving his Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Kansas, he was a teacher of special education students for eight years. Dr. Smith teaches graduate courses in the area of emotional and behavioral disorders and research in special education at UF and has conducted multiple federally funded investigations of effective behavior management techniques including the study of social conflict and the effects of school-wide peer mediation programs. As the Principal Investigator of a large-scale prevention science research grant funded by the US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Dr. Smith is investigating the effects of a universal cognitive-behavioral intervention in the form of a social problem solving curriculum to reduce student aggression and chronic classroom disruption. He has presented his findings and recommendations at numerous state, regional, national, and international professional conferences. While at UF, Dr. Smith has received three teaching awards, a University Research Award, and has served twice as a UF Research Foundation Professor. He is a member of the IES Social and Behavioral Education Scientific Research Review Panel and is a member of the Executive Board of the Division for Research, Council for Exceptional Children.