ABSTRACT
This chapter explores effective instructional and behavior management practices, and their role in creating an environment that promotes student success and student mental well-being. It considers how the evidence-based approaches might recommend mesh with guidance for working with children and youth impacted by trauma. Explicit instruction is a combination of effective teaching practices that have consistently shown to have a positive impact on student achievement. Active student engagement is critical for the learning and success of all students. Effective feedback involves providing information to improve or maintain student performance, and increasing student motivation, engagement, and independence. The implementation of effective instructional practices has been an issue long before the onset of COVID-19. This issue was exacerbated with the arrival of COVID-19 as instructional design, delivery, and assessment transformed into primarily an online environment. Meeting students' learning needs and virtual instruction were two themes that emerged regarding challenges related to learning and instruction during the pandemic. Classroom and behavior management have long been identified as areas of concern for teachers. Rigorous implementation of academic instruction and behavior management practices potentially holds the key to improving both outcomes and overall mental health for countless students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)