Behavior Analysis Is Only Half the Job

Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D — 6 minute read
One of the biggest challenges for ABA staff entering schools is realizing that a school is not a clinic in a different building. The goal is not… How do I turn this classroom into an ABA clinic?

When we enter through the doors of a school, we are entering a teacher's home, so we need to be cognizant that, in a school system, the environment, priorities, and expectations are very different from those in a clinic or home-based ABA. The principles of behavior analysis remain the same, regardless of the location.

Rather than asking, "How do I adapt ABA practices to fit schools?" we should be asking, "What does it mean to provide effective ABA in a school system?"

ABA's Historical Foundation in Schools

Many practitioners associate ABA with autism clinics or one-to-one therapy. While those settings have become increasingly common over the past two decades, they are not where the science found its footing.

The principles underlying behavior analysis originated in experimental research, most notably through the work of Skinner. As the science evolved into Applied Behavior Analysis during the 1960s, researchers intentionally applied those principles to socially significant problems in everyday environments. Schools, Head Start programs, hospitals, residential facilities, homes, and local settings all became early settings in which behavioral principles were used to improve meaningful human outcomes. Schools have been a setting where behavioral principles have been applied for more than half a century.

The history of ABA is often told through a handful of familiar names. Their contributions were foundational and deserve the recognition they have received. Less often acknowledged are the unsung contributors who also helped shape the science and its application. Dr. Ellen P. Reese, Dr. Beth Sulzer-Azaroff, Dr. Sandra L. Harris, and Dr. Judith M. LeBlanc. Their scholarship, mentorship, and leadership helped shape the science and profession we practice today, even if their names have not always been afforded the same recognition.

This blog isn't simply pointing out that the history of ABA in schools is interesting. It's highlighting that history influences who is recognized, whose voices are heard, how educational systems are developed, and ultimately how professionals practice today. Understanding that history helps explain why schools function the way they do and why behavior analysts must understand that context to practice effectively.
When we enter through the doors of a school, we are entering a teacher's home, so we need to be cognizant that, in a school system, the environment, priorities, and expectations are very different from those in a clinic or home-based ABA. 
Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D

History Matters Because It Shapes the Systems We Practice In

History matters because it shapes how we understand the systems in which we practice. Today, a substantial proportion of behavior analysts working in public schools practice within the special education framework. To practice effectively in schools, we must understand not only behavior analysis but also the history of special education through civil rights protections, educational law, and the imbalances that continue to influence student experiences.

Public education has made tremendous progress toward expanding educational opportunities for students with IEPs, but that progress has not always been fair. For decades, educational research has documented gaps in eligibility decisions, removal-based discipline, educational placement, and academic outcomes.

These gaps are not just educational concerns, and they are not outside the scope of behavior analysis. These gaps are relevant because this is the system and the context in which we practice. Long-standing patterns in our schools have led to certain student groups being identified for special education at higher rates — the gap is widest for "subjective" categories, such as emotional disturbance, that rely heavily on the professional judgment of the assessors.

In the field of behavior analysis, these BCBA "assessors" conducting FBAs are a strikingly uniform group — 71% White, with nearly nine in ten sharing the same demographic profile (BACB, 2026). Yet, have they been trained on cultural humility? Have they been trained on how to serve learners who have been structurally held back by systems and structures? And most importantly, have they been trained on how to check their preconceptions at the door?

What does this have to do with ABA in schools? Public schools are required to serve everyone, which includes serving learners of all backgrounds who have often been treated unfairly by the systems that serve them. Given the demographic mismatch between practitioners and the wide range of students they serve within the school system, understanding concepts like microaggressions and how they pertain to staff and student interactions is valuable.

Although there is a demographic mismatch between clinicians and the students they serve, it is important to note that "microaggressions can be committed by anyone regardless of the group they are part of". This is why cultural humility and training in respectful, individualized service are important for every clinician, especially when providing services in schools.

While behavior analysts strive to make decisions based on objective measurement, they are not immune to the same mental blind spots and contextual influences that affect decision-making across professions. This makes adherence to objective assessment procedures, contextual fit of behavior plans and interventions, and ongoing self-reflection particularly important in school-based practice.

Public schools are required to serve everyone, which includes serving learners of all backgrounds who have often been treated unfairly by the systems that serve them.
Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Behavior Analysts Are Experts in Behavior. Teachers Are Experts in Education.

One of my favorite insights from a recent RBT Tuesday podcast came from veteran teacher Sam Lincoln, who described the classroom as the teacher's "home" (Cordova & Call, 2026). That perspective struck me with a great degree of ownership, pride, and responsibility that the teacher carries for their classroom space and the students they support there.

When we enter a classroom, we are entering someone else's professional space. Just like students are individuals, classrooms are too. Before recommending changes, we need to understand the existing routines, instructional style, and priorities. Collaboration begins with respect.

Teachers are experts in education. Behavior analysts are experts in behavior. Students deserve both.

The most effective behavior plans are not the ones that look the best on paper. They are the ones that teachers and school staff can realistically implement within the demands of a busy school day with many competing needs.

Teachers are experts in education. Behavior analysts are experts in behavior. Students deserve both.
Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Practical Always Wins

Behavior analysts appreciate elegant interventions. Teachers appreciate interventions that work on a Tuesday morning with twenty-four students, a substitute across the hall, a fire drill scheduled for ten o'clock, and an assembly after lunch.

Schools are dynamic systems. Schedules change. Staff are absent. Students have good days and hard days. Interventions that require constant prompting, unrealistic staffing ratios, or extensive data collection may be technically sound, but they often fail to be implemented consistently. Practical interventions are more likely to be implemented with fidelity, thereby improving student outcomes.

Simple, easy-to-maintain interventions embedded within existing classroom routines are more likely to improve outcomes because they become part of everyday practice rather than an additional task.

Understanding Schools Is Part of Ethical Practice

We do not practice in a vacuum. We practice within the structure, confines, and responsibilities of schools.

The science of behavior analysis gives us extraordinary tools for understanding behavior, but those tools become far more effective when paired with an understanding of the educational system itself. Knowing the difference between LRE and DRO will keep you out of court.

Meaningful change starts with understanding. We cannot walk into schools with our clinical white coats standing outside the system, and tell educators how to change it, and expect any meaningful change to occur or be maintained. Schools are complex systems, and every system is influenced by its history, culture, competing contingencies, and the people who work within it every day.

Our role is to become part of that team. Understand the context and apply behavior analysis in ways that are practical, collaborative, and built to last. When we do that, we don't just support individual students. We strengthen classrooms, build capacity within school teams, and help shape educational systems for the better. And that is how we provide effective ABA in schools.

References

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2026, July 1). BACB certificant data. bacb.com

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/

Beaulieu, L., & Jimenez-Gomez, C. (2022). Cultural responsiveness in applied behavior analysis: Self-assessment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(2), 337-356. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.907

Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91–97.

Cordova, K., & Call, H. (Hosts). (2026, June 30). RBTs in the classroom (Episode 6) [Video podcast episode]. RBT Tuesday. BehaviorLive. https://behaviorlive.com/organizations/khyaba/rbt

Greenwood, C. R., Carta, J. J., Hart, B., Kamps, D., Terry, B., Arreaga-Mayer, C., Atwater, J., Walker, D., Risley, T., & Delquadri, J. C. (1992). Out of the laboratory and into the community: 26 years of applied behavior analysis at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project. American Psychologist, 47(11), 1464–1474. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.11.1464

Heward, W.L., Kimball, J.W., & Reese, E. (2025). Always Give the Learner the Opportunity to be Right. Behavior Analysis in Practice. 18(2):307-318. doi: 10.1007/s40617-025-01066-9.

Layden, S. J., Lorio-Barsten, D. K., Gansle, K. A., Austin, K., & Rizvi, S. (2024). Roles and responsibilities of school-based behavior analysts: A survey. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 26(1), 52-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007231200528

Office of Special Education Programs. (2020, August 26). OSEP fast facts: Black or African American children with disabilities. U.S. Department of Education. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/osep-fast-facts-black-or-african- american-children-with-disabilities-20/

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. (2022, July 19). Dear colleague letter on implementation of IDEA discipline provisions. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/dcl-implementation-of-idea-discipline-provisions/

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Karly Cordova

Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D, received her Bachelor's Degree in Human Growth and Development, her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, and her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a minor in Autism. Dr. Cordova has worked in the field of ABA since 2001, consulting in schools, clinics, group homes, and private homes; and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2004. Dr. Cordova's expertise resides in the areas of teaching functional life skills, conducting research in applied settings, disseminating ABA through effective and systematic supervision, and building capacity within organizations. Dr. Cordova has authored four books on structured approaches to supervision and currently hosts monthly PDU events for RBTs on Behavior Live for KHY ABA Consulting Group.

EDITED BY Heather Volchko

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