Responsibilities and instructional time: Relationships identified by teachers in self-contained classes for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities

Teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities face complex challenges supporting students’ academic and behavioral needs. These teachers require support from administrators, but administrators are seldom prepared to provide support. Furthermore, research seldom operationalizes support inways that provide actionable advice to administrators. Prior research indicates that teachers frequently feel overburdened with excessive responsibilities, and they often provide insufficient instructional opportunities for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. However, prior research has not determined whether a relationship exists between teachers’ responsibilities and their instruction. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between teachers’ instructional time and the extra responsibilities they have. Results suggest that teachers’ noninstructional responsibilities are associated with less instructional time. Despite limitations to data collection methods, these findings have significant implications for administrative support.