Rhonda Nese
Biography
Dr. Rhonda Nese is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon and the Director of the Nese Lab. She is also a Principal Investigator (PI) within the Prevention Science Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Oregon. Her research involves equitable intervention delivery within a multi-tiered behavior support framework focused on preventative practices, including addressing implicit bias in school discipline, effective classroom behavior management strategies, bullying prevention, and alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices. Dr. Nese serves as the PI on projects to develop and test the effectiveness of the Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an instructional and restorative alternative to exclusionary discipline, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (R305A180006) and the National Institutes of Health (1R01DA059401-01). She is also Co-PI on additional federally-funded projects to identify factors that predict implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices, to develop technology to improve online learning for educators, and to develop and validate an automated scoring system for oral reading fluency. Dr. Nese is the recipient of the 2022 Presidential Equity Award from the NorthWest PBIS Network and the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Award from the University of Oregon, the UO’s highest award for early career faculty to recognize and celebrate an emerging and significant record of scholarship and research.
Education
Degree earned: Ph.D.
Year graduated: 2013
University/College attended and city and state: University of Oregon, Eugene OR
Major: School Psychology
Degree earned:
M.Ed.Year graduated: 2008
University/College attended and city and state: Howard University, Washington, DC
Major: School Psychology
Degree earned: B.A.
Year graduated: 2004
University/College attended and city and state: University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Major: Psychology
Honors and Awards
Publications
Nese, R. N. T., *Kittelman, A., Strickland-Cohen, M. K., & McIntosh, K. (2023). Examining teaming and tier 2 and 3 practices within a PBIS framework. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 25(1), 16-27. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10983007211051090
Hirsch, S. E., Stevenson, N. A., *Ellis, K., & Nese, R. N. T. (2022). Together we go far: Helping doctoral scholars develop collaborations in special education research. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 11(2), 2-16.
McDaniel, S., Nese, R. N. T., Tomek, S., & *Jiang, S. (2022).District-wide outcomes from a bullying prevention programming. Preventing School Failure, 66, 276-284.10.1080/1045988X.2022.2070588
Nese, R. N. T., *Santiago-Rosario, M. R., Malose, S., *Hamilton, J., Nese, J. F. T., & Horner, R. (2022). Improving a universal intervention for reducing exclusionary discipline practices using student and teacher guidance. Psychology in the Schools, 59, 2042-2061. http://doi.org/10.1002/pits.2257629.
McIntosh K., Girvan, E. J., Fairbanks Falcon, S., McDaniel, S. C., Smolkowski, K., *Bastable, E., *Santiago-Rosario, M. R., *Izzard, S., *Austin, S. C., Nese, R. N. T., & Baldy, T. S. (2021). Equity-focused PBIS approach reduces racial inequities in school discipline: A randomized controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 36, 433–444. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000466 Article of the Year.
*Furjanic, D., *Mannan, I., *Hamilton, J., Nese, J. F. T., *Austin, S., *Izzard, S., & Nese, R. N. T. (2021). Examining the social validity of a universal intervention for reducing exclusionary discipline through stakeholder voice. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 38(4), 352-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2021.1968092
Nese, R. N. T., Nese, J. F. T., *McCroskey, C., *Meng, P., Triplett, D., & *Bastable, E. (2021). Moving away from disproportionate exclusionary discipline: Developing and utilizing a continuum of preventative and instructional supports. Preventing School Failure, 65, 301-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2021.1937019
*Bastable, E., Fairbanks Falcon, S., Nese, R. N. T., *Meng, P., & McIntosh, K. (2021). Enhancing school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports tier 1 core practices to improve disciplinary equity. Preventing School Failure, 65, 283-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2021.1937020
McDaniel, S., LaSalle, T., Cohen, D. & Nese, R. N. T. (2021). Not separate but not equal: Improving equity in discipline in racially and ethnically diverse school settings. Beyond Behavior, 30, 157-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/10742956211024168
*Kittelman, A., Mercer, S. H., McIntosh, K., & Nese, R. N. T. (2021). Development and validation of a measure assessing sustainability of tier 2 and 3 behavior support systems. Journal of School Psychology, 85, 140-154.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2021.02.001
Green, A. L., Hatton, H., Stegenga, S. M., Eliason, B., & Nese, R. (2020). Examining commitment to prevention, equity, and meaningful engagement: A review of school district discipline policies. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 23, 137-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300720951940
Nese, R. N. T., *Bastable, E., *Gion, C., *Massar, M., Nese, J. F. T., & *McCroskey, C. (2020). Preliminary analysis of an instructional alternative to exclusionary discipline. The Journal of At-Risk Issues, 23, 1-14.
Nese, R. N. T., Nese, J. F. T., McIntosh, K., Mercer, S. H., & *Kittelman, A. (2019). Predicting latency of reaching adequate implementation of tier I school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 21, 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300718783755
Nese, R. N. T., McDaniel, S., Hirsch, S., Green, A., Sprague, J., & McIntosh, K., (2019).Major systems for facilitating safety and pro-social behavior: Positive school wide behavior. In D. Osher, M. J. Mayer, R. J. Jagers, K. Kendziora, & L. Woods (Eds.), Keeping students safe and helping them thrive. A collaborative handbook on school safety, mental health, and wellness, vol 2 (pp. 256-276). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishing.
Nese, R. N. T. & McIntosh, K. (2016). Do school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports, not exclusionary discipline practices. In B. G. Cook, M. TAnchorankersley, & T. J. Landrum (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (pp. 175-196). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.
Nese, R. N. T., Anderson, C. A., Ruppert, T., & Fisher, P. (2016). Effects of a video feedback parent training program during child welfare visitation. Children and Youth Services Review, 71, 266-276. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.11.007
Nese, R. N. T., McIntosh, K., Nese, J. F. T., *Ghemraoui, A., Bloom, J., Johnson, N. W., Phillips, D., Richter, M. F., & Hoselton, R. (2016). Predicting abandonment of school-wide behavior support interventions. Behavioral Disorders, 42, 261-270. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17988/BD-15-95.1
Nese, R., *Massar, M., & McIntosh, K. (2015). Alternatives to suspension: Strategies for school principals. Principal Leadership, 16, 52-56.
Nese, R. N. T., Horner, R. H., Rossetto Dickey, C., Stiller, B., & Tomlanovich, A. (2014). Decreasing bullying behavior in middle school: Expect respect. School Psychology Quarterly, 29, 272-286. doi: 10.1037/spq0000070
Research
My teaching and research focuses on intervention delivery within a multi-tiered behavior support framework with a specific emphasis on supporting historically marginalized children and youth in schools and communities. I am particularly interested in (1) alternatives to exclusionary discipline, (2) bullying and harassment prevention, (3) addressing the impact of implicit biases on racial disproportionality in school discipline, (4) implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices, and (5) online professional development for improving school-wide support systems.