Brandi Simonsen

Professor

Educational Psychology

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Titles:

Professor, Special Education

Co-Director, Center for Behavioral Education and Research

Co-Director, National Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Academic Degrees:

Ph.D. in Special Education: Exceptional Learner, University of Oregon, 2002
M.S. in Special Education: Exceptional Learner, University of Oregon, 1999
B.A. in Elementary Education and Psychology, William and Mary, 1998

Areas of Expertise:

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Applied Behavior Analysis

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

Classroom Behavior

Behavioral Intervention

Assessment – Behavioral

Special Education

Biography:

Dr. Simonsen is a professor of Special Education with tenure in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education and the Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research (CBER; www.cber.org) at the University of Connecticut. She is also the Co-Director of the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS; www.pbis.org), Co-Principal Investigator of the National Multi-Tiered System of Supports Research Network (MTSS-RN; www.mtss.org), a Senior Advisor to the National Center on Intensive Interventions (NCII), and an editorial board member for the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Currently, Dr. Simonsen conducts research, publishes, teaches, and provides training/technical assistance in the areas of (a) school- and class-wide PBIS, (b) positive and proactive professional development supports for teachers, and (c) applications of PBIS in alternative education settings.

Before joining the faculty at University of Connecticut, Dr. Simonsen was the director of a non-public (alternative) school serving students with disabilities who presented with challenging educational and behavioral needs. In addition to serving as an administrator and clinician, Dr. Simonsen has previously been certified as a teacher of elementary general education and middle-secondary special education.

See Dr. Simonsen’s Curriculum Vitae for a detailed list of recent work.