In the professional judgment of many experts in the field, the concepts, strategies, and techniques presented in the Safe & Civil Schools library reflect the current understanding of “research-based,” “evidence-based,” and “grounded in scientifically based research.” Please read what the experts have said about Safe & Civil Schools materials below.
"With its practical and proactive strategies for motivating reluctant students, preventing potential classroom disruptions, and managing challenging adolescent behavior, Discipline in the Secondary Classroom is an invaluable tool for both beginning and 'seasoned' high school teachers."
—Carolyn Novelly, Resource Teacher and Behavior Coach, Duval County Public Schools, Jacksonville, Florida
"Dr. Sprick has provided a practical 'how-to' guide with evidence-based strategies for helping staff effectively intervene with students who have challenging behaviors. He has again provided a timely and rich resource to guide us through the challenges of RTI for behavior that synthesizes current best practices with step-by-step procedures [that move] from prevention to [intensive] intervention."
—Mike Box, LCSW, Behavior Response Team Coordinator, Pasadena ISD, Pasadena, Texas
"Brilliantly organized and written. Every page is filled with very practical, evidence-based solutions to some of the most vexing problems facing teachers in today’s schools. This is one of the few resources available to teachers that provides very specific, detailed suggestions on how to differentiate instruction in a very doable way. Randy Sprick is one of the most talented educators of our time. This book blazes new ground in a very innovative way—teachers will love it because it will improve the performance of their students in very significant ways!
—Don Deshler, Ph.D., Director, Center for Research on Learning, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
"A must-have resource for every educator, administrator, and support staff. Interventions is a step-by-step evidence-based blueprint that is practical—and easy to understand, use, and implement. Whether PBS or RTI, this manual has it all—a tiered system of interventions universally designed for all students. Randy Sprick has once again provided the field with an incredibly useful and proactive way to set up students, teachers, and parents for success!"
—Judy Elliott, Ph.D., Chief Academic Officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, California
"Interventions is an easy-to-use guide for planning and implementing behavior management with interventions based on the latest research and time-tested strategies; is organized logically; speaks in a relaxed and clear voice; and provides specific actions, tools, and reproducible forms for a teacher, school psychologist, counselor, or behavior specialist to use every day.
"Randy Sprick—an exceptional educator and presenter—and his colleague Mickey Garrison have provided what is needed to support student behavior through a positive, respectful, and logical continuum of schoolwide, classroom, and individual interventions."
—Susan Gorin, CAE, Executive Director, National Association of School Psychologists, Bethseda, Maryland
"This book is a how-to manual that guides the reader through step-by-step instructions for implementing function-based interventions that are positive and preserve the dignity of students. Starting with early-stage interventions and then moving to more highly structured interventions, this book follows the Response to Intervention model with an emphasis on Positive Behavior Supports. This book is a must for anyone working with struggling students who wants practical, positive, and research-based interventions."
—William R. Jenson, Ph.D., Coauthor of the Tough Kid series and Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
"Randy understands the complexity of today’s classroom and translates research-based practices into user-friendly, efficient, and effective tools that are manageable in today’s school environment. He is a pioneer in developing systems and sustaining their efforts in producing a positive culture that honors and respects students and staff. Anyone in my district who has heard Randy speak knows that he is a master at transforming the beliefs of even the most resistant and guiding them to research-based tools and practices."
—Sally LaRue, Ph.D., Director of Educational Support Services, Humble ISD, Humble, Texas
"In my work supporting best practices in schools nationwide, the work of Dr. Randy Sprick represents, by far, the best of some really great work in behavior support. This book, like his other efforts, provides a foundational tool that while scientifically based, translates positive behavior support in a clear, understandable language with implementable and effective interventions for practitioners."
—Mark R. Shinn, Ph.D., Professor of School Psychology, National-Louis University, Skokie, Illinois
"Dr. Sprick’s extensive experience as an educator and purveyor of best practices is apparent in the revised edition of Interventions. He has the unique talent of deconstructing complex ideas into workable, understandable, and useful components that translate into teachable processes. With increased efforts to address RTI across the nation, Interventions successfully integrates the best of evidence-based practices with practical, easy-to-use approaches to RTI. This revised edition couldn’t have come at a better time! All school intervention staff, especially teachers, will undoubtedly benefit."
—Jose Luis Torres, Ph.D., Executive Director, Parent Services and Former Director of Psychological Services, Dallas ISD, Dallas, Texas
"A wonderful book on evidence-based practices that every teacher and related services specialist working in schools should have. It provides an invaluable guide for navigating the difficult challenges that so many of today’s students present during the teaching/learning process. All school staff should familiarize themselves with this material. I especially like Randy’s RTI distinction between early-stage and highly structured intervention approaches that address prevention goals and outcomes at different levels.
"Randy’s book provides comprehensive coverage of the tools and techniques that are so necessary in setting up, managing, and teaching in today’s classroom environments. I can think of no better resource for addressing these critical tasks that are so influential in achieving school success for all students."
—Hill Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education, Co-Director of the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, and Director of the Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
"For the past 12 years Randy Sprick and Mickey Garrison have set the standard for a methodology that enables school personnel to quickly identify proactive, positive, and effective interventions for struggling students. Teachers, administrators, school psychologists, and other related services personnel will benefit significantly from the ideas in this resource."
—Jim Ysseldyke, Ph.D., Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership, School Psychology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Randy Sprick is a recognized leader in the field of education today. He has a keen understanding of students, classroom dynamics, and teachers. This book is filled with highly innovative and practical recommendations for creating and maintaining an effective classroom. There are few books that are a must for educators, but this is one of them."
—Don Deshler, Ph.D., Director, Center for Research on Learning, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
"If all students are to reach high academic and applied learning standards, their teachers must be afforded consistent opportunities to observe good practice, reflect on good practice, and repeat the process. Works like the Teachers's Encyclopedia provide the cornerstone for this cycle—explicit examples of good practice."
—Vicki L. Phillips, Executive Director, Children Achieving Challenge
"Randy Sprick’s Solution Book is widely recognized as a classic in the field of behavior management and has been highly influential in empowering teachers to manage students and classrooms more effectively. This new work, the Teacher's Encyclopedia, provides one of the most effective and comprehensive compendiums of behavior management techniques available. This practical, hands-on resource will prove extremely valuable, in one way or another, to every educator."
—Hill Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education, Co-Director of the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, and Director of the Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
"There are multiple reasons why students exhibit problematic behaviors, so why not multiple solutions? Dr. Sprick has collected a multitude of proven solutions for the most common student difficulties, each based on sound research. This guide is truly a teacher’s ‘Bible’ of practical, easy-to-use behavior management techniques."
—Jim Ysseldyke, Ph.D., Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership, School Psychology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota