About our author
Mitchell Yell, PhD is the Fred and Francis Palmetto Chair in Teacher Education and Professor in Special Education in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, South Carolina. For the past 26 years, Dr. Yell has conducted extensive research and presented numerous workshops on developing individualized education programs (IEPs), formulating legally correct special education policies, and adopting best practices in educating students with disabilities. His primary goal has been to extrapolate principles from legislation and litigation; communicate them to parents, teachers, and administrators in clear, "nonlegalese" language; and assist teachers and school districts in the use of legally sound research-based policies and practices.
Prior to coming to the University of South Carolina, Dr. Yell was a special education teacher in Minnesota for 16 years. During this time he taught in elementary, middle and secondary school classrooms and in special schools for students with learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and autism.
He has published 112 articles and 30 book chapters, and has conducted numerous workshops on special education law and classroom management. He is the author of 4 textbooks published by Pearson: The Law and Special Education, Evidence-Based Practices for Educating Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, and No Child Left Behind: A Guide for Professionals, and is the coauthor of A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Behavior Problems in the Elementary Classroom with Stephen Smith.
