Importance of student social behavior in the mission statements, personnel preparation standards, and innovation efforts of state departments of education.

We examined the extent to which state departments of education are including (a) goals for student social behavior in their mission statements; (b) criteria for individual student, classroom, and schoolwide behavior support in certification standards for general education teachers, special education teachers, and principals; and (c) state initiatives focused on improving student social behavior. Web-based information from state departments of education from all 50 states and from the District of Columbia were reviewed in the fall of 2004. Results indicated that only 16 states (31%) include a focus on student social behavior in their mission statements. Individual student behavior support practices were identified in the curriculum for general educators in 30 (59%) states and for special educators in 39 (76%) states. Classroom behavior support practices were required for general education teachers in 39 (76%) states and for special educators in 40 (78%) states. Schoolwide behavior support practices were most likely to be required for principal certification, and they were formally identified in 20 (39%) of the states surveyed. Character education was the most common state initiative cited for improving social behavior in schools.

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A central assumption of any state department of education (DOE) is that recommendations, guidelines, regulations, laws, and initiatives developed by the state will influence the educational practices available in schools. The mechanisms by which this influence occurs may vary (Thompson & Thurlow, 2001). Stipulating that funding is contingent on monitored compliance with educational practices (e.g., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], 1997; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act [IDEIA], 2004), or making educator licensing contingent on teaching competencies are two common strategies. Increases over the past 20 years in access to special education and in the use of formal assessments for students referred for special education are examples of federal and state policy changes that have affected practice (Thurlow, Lazarus, Thompson, & Morse, 2005; Turnbull & Turnbull, 2000). Initiatives and recommendations with less clearly defined contingencies have a history of less substantive (or durable) impact (Carnine, 1997; Latham, 1988). As the nation continues the ongoing debate about how to educate children, it is appropriate both to monitor patterns of educational policy across states and to better understand how these policies may affect day-to-day educational practices.

Currently, one area where the role of policy may warrant monitoring relates to the relevance, importance, and standards for student social behavior. Establishing a social climate of safety, respect, and responsibility is viewed increasingly as a foundation for achieving the academic gains that are the primary focus of our schools (Colvin, Kame'enui, & Sugai, 1993; Gottfredson, Gottfredson, & Hybl, 1993; Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002; Netzel & Eber, 2003). Problem behaviors such as disruption, defiance, aggression, bullying, and property destruction impede the delivery of instruction and the acquisition of core academic content (Walker et al., 1996). Simply put, schools that are effective academic environments typically are also places where (a) students have clear behavioral expectations, (b) appropriate behavior is overtly acknowledged, (c) a continuum of consequences for inappropriate behavior exists, (d) children with more intense behavior support needs get early and appropriate levels of support, and (e) data are collected and used to guide implementation of behavior supports (Colvin & Sugai, 1988; Lewis & Sugai, 1999).

States support federal policy and encourage educational innovation in a number of ways. Primary among these are (a) state department of education mission statements that define clear goals and outcomes, (b) personnel preparation programs that require mastery of core competencies, and (c) initiatives that facilitate dissemination of evidence-based innovations. The present study examined the extent to which encouragement in recent federal legislation to enhance behavior support in schools is reflected in (a) the mission statements that state departments of education have formulated, (b) state certification programs for teachers and administrators, and (c) states' special initiatives used to enhance current educational practices.

Mission statements organize top educational priorities, guide change, and attract and maintain support for that change (Moldenhauer-Salazar, 2000). Once the top priorities are made clear, these priorities drive state policy regarding school-based practice, organizing activities under a general, valued outcome.

Successful personnel preparation standards reflect the valued outcomes and priorities formulated in the mission statement. If a state values a specific educator competence, it may include requirements regarding that competence in its teacher/ administrator certifications, ensuring common experiences that give educators active knowledge of the actions, routines, and procedures that are ...