Stephen W. Smith

Stephen W. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Florida (UF). Prior to receiving his Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Kansas, he was a teacher of special education students for eight years. Dr. Smith teaches graduate courses in the area of emotional and behavioral disorders and research in special education at UF and has conducted multiple federally funded investigations of effective behavior management techniques including the study of social conflict and the effects of school-wide peer mediation programs. As the Principal Investigator of a large-scale prevention science research grant funded by the US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Dr. Smith is investigating the effects of a universal cognitive-behavioral intervention in the form of a social problem solving curriculum to reduce student aggression and chronic classroom disruption. He has presented his findings and recommendations at numerous state, regional, national, and international professional conferences. While at UF, Dr. Smith has received three teaching awards, a University Research Award, and has served twice as a UF Research Foundation Professor. He is a member of the IES Social and Behavioral Education Scientific Research Review Panel and is a member of the Executive Board of the Division for Research, Council for Exceptional Children.