Safe Learning Environment in a School Setting: A Study of Administrators Preparedness for Students with Emotional Behavior Disorders

Site administrators are held accountable for leading special education programs within their building, including emotional behavior disorders. Their responsibilities include providing support to these students while receiving instruction in their least restrictive environment. Students with Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD) display a wide range of maladaptive behaviors, making it challenging to create and maintain a safe learning school environment. Several studies have been conducted related to school administrators’ preparedness; their findings revealed that school administrators are not prepared to serve the needs of students with emotional behaviors disorders due to the lack of special education training in the principal preparation programs. The purpose of this study was to assess site administrators’ knowledge of special education necessary to identify and create a safe and supportive learning environment for students with Emotional Behavior Disorders. Five school administrators in an urban school district in West Tennessee, through survey, indicated the knowledge of special education laws and by interview shared their experiences. This mixed-methods study analyzed the school administrator\u27s knowledge, perspectives, and views in their preparedness for students with Emotional Behavior Disorders. This study used quantitative analysis to ascertain administrators\u27 perception of the level of training needed to create a safe and supportive learning environment. The survey findings divulged that site administrators believe they create a safe and supportive learning environment; however, interviews conducted with administrators relative to their experiences revealed they are not prepared to deal with emotional behavior disorders due to a lack of special education knowledge. Continual research is recommended on Emotional Behavior Disorder as a priority for better preparing future site administrators