Kevin Sutherland

Dr. Kevin Sutherland is Interim Associate Dean for Research and Professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Education. He is also research faculty at VCU’s Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development. His work focuses on enhancing implementation fidelity of evidence-based programs targeting behavioral disorders in educational settings.

• Ph.D. in Special Education, Vanderbilt University
• M.Ed. in Special Education, College of William and Mary
• B.A. in History, Wake Forest University

Dr. Sutherland’s research spans emotional/behavioral disorders, intervention development, and implementation science. He specializes in classroom-based behavioral interventions, teacher-child dynamics, and scaling evidence-based practices in under-resourced contexts. Recent projects include the BEST in CLASS intervention and fidelity assessment tools.

His publications emphasize behavioral interventions, bullying prevention, and classroom management strategies. Key trends include a focus on equity, teacher self-efficacy, and contextual factors influencing student outcomes. He collaborates on multi-level implementation studies and has secured over $40 million in federal grants.

• Principal Investigator, IES Grant R305A220261 ($1.3M)
• Co-Investigator, IES Grant R305A210168 ($2M)
• Co-Investigator, IES Grant R324R210005 ($4.5M)
• Mentor, IES Early Career Grant R324B190018 ($500K)
• Co-PI, NIMH Grant R01 MH124439 ($3.1M)

Dr. Sutherland leads the Clark-Hill Institute’s research initiatives and develops tools like the BEST in CLASS Adherence and Competence Scale. His work bridges implementation science with practical classroom solutions for at-risk youth.