2018 Graduate School of Education Curriculum and Teaching Spring Lecture

Families, educators, and community members must carefully consider the impact of dramatic shifts in our social, political, and environmental conversations and actions on the development and experiences of children, youth, and young adults. Rather than assuming a wait-and-see approach, educators and behavioral mental health providers are now being urged to explicitly adopt a preventive approach and double-down on behavioral practices that address the direct and indirect effects of trauma, discrimination, harassment, and violence. In addition, since students spend six hours a day, 180 days per year, and at least 12 years of their lives in schools, educators have unique opportunities to teach, model, and reinforce caring, safe, and responsible learning environments.

This presentation by George Sugai, Ph.D., will describe the logic and core features of this behavioral and prevention sciences approach, It will also emphasize what educators can do daily and hourly with all their students to reduce risk and strengthen their social, emotional, and behavioral skills.

George Sugai, Ph.D., is the Carole J. Neag Endowed Professor in Special Education at the Neag School of Education of the University of Connecticut. His expertise is in behavior analysis, classroom and behavior management, school-wide discipline, function-based behavior support, school-wide positive behavior supports, and educating students with behavioral disorders. He has been a teacher in public schools, a treatment director in a residential program, and a program administrator. Sugai conducts applied school and classroom research and works with schools to translate research into practice, especially at the school-wide, district, and state levels. He is currently co-director (with Rob Horner and Tim Lewis) of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and supports the University of Connecticut and University of Oregon. He is also the co-director (with Mary Beth Bruder) of the Early Childhood Personnel Center and is a research scientist for the Center on Behavioral Education and Research in the Neag School of Education.