Investigating the Collateral Effects of Behavior Management on Early Literacy Skills

Effective behavior management is necessary to ensure students are engaged with instruction. Students cannot learn if they are not engaged. Although the relationship between effective behavior management and positive student behavior is well established, the relationship between behavior management and increased academic achievement, including early literacy skills, is still developing. This study examined the collateral effects of high quality implementation of evidence-based behavior management strategies on early literacy growth for students considered at-risk for reading difficulties receiving targeted early intervention. Results indicate that students receiving targeted early literacy skills instruction from very good behavior managers performed statistically significantly better than students receiving instruction from poor behavior managers. Implications and future directions are discussed.