Sara Estrapala

Dr. Sara Estrapala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri's College of Education and Human Development. Her work centers on improving behavioral outcomes for high school students, particularly those with disabilities and challenging behaviors, through evidence-based practices and intervention development.

Her research focuses on Tier 1 and Tier 2 Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in high school settings. Key areas include student voice, self-regulation development, and the usability and feasibility of implementing behavioral interventions in real-world educational contexts. She is currently leading an IES-funded project to iteratively develop a self-directed self-regulation intervention for high school students with disabilities.

Dr. Estrapala has extensive experience managing large-scale, multi-site randomized controlled trials and single-case research designs. She is dedicated to bridging research and practice by mentoring emerging researchers, teaching courses in behavior and classroom management, and providing professional development for both in-service and pre-service teachers.

She is actively involved in the academic and practitioner communities through affiliations with the MU Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports, the Association for Positive Behavior Supports, and the Council for Exceptional Children. Her work is disseminated through practitioner journals and professional conferences focused on applied educational strategies.

• IES Early Career Development and Training Grant

Dr. Estrapala mentors novice researchers in conducting complex, school-based research projects and is committed to building research capacity in special education. While no formal list of advisees is provided, her role includes guiding students through research methodologies and practical applications. She has not received additional named awards beyond the IES grant, but her funding signifies recognition of her early career potential.

She is affiliated with the MU Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports, where she contributes to campus-wide initiatives promoting positive behavioral frameworks in K-12 schools. Her collaborative work supports the implementation of systemic, data-driven approaches to student behavior across multiple educational sites.