Research

Overview

Project SUSTAIN is dedicated to developing effective, sustainable support for special education teachers working with students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Our goal is to improve teacher retention and working conditions through evidence-based interventions tailored to meet their unique needs.

Publications and Research Outputs

See below for research articles which provide the evidence base for SUSTAIN.

Leveraging Working Conditions

In this chapter, Co-PI Michelle Cumming and colleagues provide an overview of special education teachers’ working conditions as well as associated teaching and learning outcomes.
Citation: Cumming, M. M., Bettini, E., Brunsting, N. C., & Theodore, S. (2022). Leveraging working conditions to improve the quality and effectiveness of the special education teacher workforce. In C. J. Lemons, S. Powell, & K. L. Lane (Eds.), Handbook of special education research: Research based practices and intervention innovations. Routledge.

Special Educators’ Wellbeing, Burnout, and Engagement

In this chapter, PI Brunsting and colleagues review research on special educators’ wellbeing and burnout, with particular attention to the role of working conditions.

Citation: Brunsting, N. C., Cumming, M. M., Garwood, J. G., & Uquiza, N. (2024). Special educators’ wellbeing, burnout, and engagement. In E. McCray, E. Bettini, M. Brownnell, J. McLeskey, & P. Sindelar (2nd Ed., pp. 296-318), Handbook of Research on Special Education Teacher Preparation. Routledge.

Predicting Special Educators’ Intent to Continue Teaching Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders in Self-Contained Settings

In this empirical article, Co-PI Bettini and colleagues found that, for special educators teaching students with EBD in self-contained settings, less time planning outside of school, fewer paraeducators to manage, better access to curricular resources, and more homogeneous instructional groupings of students predicted more manageable workloads, less emotional exhaustion, and greater intent to continue teaching.

Citation: Bettini, E., Cumming, M., O’Brien, K. M., Brunsting, N. C., Ragunanthan, M., Sutton, R., & Chopra, A. (2020). Predicting special educators’ intent to continue teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders in self-contained classes. Exceptional Children, 86(2), 209-228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402919873556

Working Conditions and Burnout of Special Educators of Students with Emotional-Behavioral Disorders: Longitudinal Outcomes

In this empirical article, PI Brunsting and colleagues found that more protected planning time and higher administrative support in the fall predicted higher workload manageability and, in turn, lower burnout in the winter and spring.

Citation: Brunsting, N. C., Bettini, E., Rock, M., Common, E. A., Royer, D. J., Lane, K. L., Xie, F., Chen, A., & Zeng, F. (2023). Working conditions and burnout of special educators of students with EBD: Longitudinal Outcomes. Teacher Education and Special Education. 46(1), 44-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/08884064221076159

Working Conditions and Special Educators’ Reading Instruction for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

In this empirical article, Dr. Hannah Mathews and colleagues found that strong partnership dynamics with paraeducators, access to curricular materials, protected planning time, and clearly defined roles enhanced special educators’ reading instruction for students with EBD.

Citation: Mathews, H. M., Lillis, J. L., Bettini, E., Peyton, D. J., Pua, D., Oblath, R., Jones, N. D., Smith, S. W., & Sutton, R. (2021). Working Conditions and Special Educators’ Reading Instruction for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Exceptional Children, 87(4), 476-496.