• About Us
• Advanced Philosophy of Care
• Mission, Values and Service
• Our Commitment to Safety
• Our History
• Senior Leadership Team
• Devereux Board of Trustees
• Annual Reports
• Devereux in the News
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
• Recognizing Our Employees
• Celebrating Our Devereux Families
• Sharing Messages of Hope

Pennsylvania school district selects Devereux Center for Effective Schools to run emotional support classrooms

An urban school district in Pennsylvania recently selected Devereux Center for Effective Schools (CES) to run six of its emotional support (ES) classrooms to help students with emotional and behavioral challenges learn, grow and thrive.

Utilizing a positive behavior support approach that emphasizes instructional class-wide management to promote the reduction of challenging behaviors through the encouragement of positive behaviors, the CES is providing academic instruction and emotional support to students in four ES classrooms at the middle school level and two at the high school level. In addition, CES is assisting students with emotional support needs who may be fully included in the district’s general education classrooms.

The district selected CES as a result of its extensive experience helping schools to better serve and support children and adolescents with, and at risk for developing, emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) through training, consultation and applied research.

“We have worked closely with this school district over the past few years, training and consulting with its ES workforce, primarily at the elementary school level,” said Devereux Center for Effective Schools Director Barry McCurdy, Ph.D., NCSP, BCBA-D. “We are excited to have the opportunity to run the district’s ES classrooms at the secondary level, working with students to identify their strengths, and helping them develop the academic, social and behavioral skills needed for success.”

Promoting student success

Over the summer, CES hired 14 highly skilled employees to staff the ES classrooms, including: six special educators, six instructional assistants, a special education supervisor and a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Before the start of the 2020-21 school year in August, these employees received advanced training in evidence-based instructional and classroom management strategies to better support students with EBD.

“Our primary goal is to provide a positive, safe and supportive learning environment for students in need. Over the course of the school year, teachers will evaluate and assess students’ progress to help them achieve academic excellence,” McCurdy explained. “This marks the first time the CES has staffed an ES classroom, and we look forward to creating a program that will help us advance our services for students with emotional and behavioral challenges in this school district and beyond.”

Learn more about the Devereux Center for Effective Schools, and learn more about Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health.

Latest News

		Devereux honors nurses, teachers and mental health providers during May observances At Devereux, we are celebrating our more than 200 nurses, 200 teachers and 300 mental health providers who go above and beyond to meet the needs of the children, adolescents and adults they serve.
		Mental Health Awareness Month: Fostering open dialogue, understanding and support During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health is highlighting the importance of talking openly about mental health to combat stigma, foster a culture of empathy and understanding, and encourage those in need to seek support.
		Ragan Communications Awards: Devereux earns ‘Honorable Mention’ for ASCEND program Devereux was recently named an “Honorable Mention” in Ragan Communications’ Employee Communications Awards in the Employee Education/Training Program category for its ASCEND Career Accelerator Program. Devereux was recognized during an awards luncheon on April 18 in Chicago.
		Codie Kane named Devereux’s 2024 Savin Scholar Award recipient Devereux Center for Effective Schools doctoral intern Codie Kane, M.Ed., was selected as Devereux’s 2024 Savin Scholar Award recipient for her research proposal that will examine the relationship between preschool students’ protective factors and behavioral concerns.

More Stories