Howard M. Knoff
Howard M. Knoff, Ph.D. is the creator and Director of Project ACHIEVE. After 22 years as a university professor, he is now a full-time national consultant, author, and lecturer; and he has been the Director of the State Improvement/Personnel Development Grant for the Arkansas Department of Education—Special Education Unit since 2003. Formerly a Professor of School Psychology at the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) for 18 years and Director of its School Psychology Program for 12 years, Dr. Knoff was also the creator and Director of the Institute for School Reform, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy at USF.
As Director of Project ACHIEVE, a nationally-known school effectiveness/improvement program that was designated a National Model Prevention Program by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2000, Dr. Knoff has trained over 1,500 schools or school districts in every state over a 25-year period.
As Director of the Arkansas State Improvement/Personnel Development Grant (SIG/SPDG), a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, he helps to oversee the primary SPDG goals of: the statewide implementation of Project ACHIEVE’s Positive Behavioral Support System approach; literacy and mathematics interventions for at-risk, underachieving, and students with disabilities; Response-to-Instruction and Intervention and Closing the Achievement Gap, technical assistance to schools/districts in School Improvement status; and special education and related service recruitment, training, and retention.
Dr. Knoff received his Ph.D. degree from Syracuse University in 1980, and has worked as a practitioner, consultant, licensed private psychologist, and university professor since 1978. Dr. Knoff is widely respected for his research and writing on school reform and organizational change, consultation and intervention processes, social skills and behavior management training, Response-to-Intervention, and professional issues. He has authored or co-authored 18 books, published over 75 articles and book chapters, and delivered over 500 papers and workshops nationally—including the Stop & Think Social Skills Program (Preschool through Middle School editions) and the Stop & Think Parent Book: A Guide to Children’s Good Behavior. In addition, he was on the writing team that helped produced Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools, the document commissioned by President Clinton after the first wave of school shootings in the Fall of 1998.
Dr. Knoff has a long history of working with schools, districts, and community and state agencies and organizations. For example, he has consulted with a number of state departments of education, the Department of Defense Dependents School District during Desert Storm, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court five times, in addition to working on many other state and local cases—largely for legal advocacy firms who are representing special education and other students in need.
A recipient of the Lightner Witmer Award from the American Psychological Association's School Psychology Division for early career contributions in 1990, and over $18 million in external grants during his career, Dr. Knoff is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (School Psychology Division), a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, a Licensed Psychologist in Arkansas, and he has been trained in both crisis intervention and mediation processes. Frequently interviewed in all areas of the media, Dr. Knoff has been on the NBC Nightly News, numerous television and radio talk shows, and he was highlighted on an ABC News' 20/20 program on "Being Teased, Taunted, and Bullied." Finally, Dr. Knoff was the 21st President of the National Association of School Psychologists which now represents more than 25,000 school psychologists nationwide.
You can view Dr. Knoff's website here: www.projectachieve.net
Expertise
- Positive Behavior Support Systems
- RTI
- Multi-Tiered
- Instruction
- Classroom Management
Workshops
Workshop
- Behavioral Interventions for Challenging Students: This seminar offers practical, field-tested classroom interventions that can be strategically implemented to decrease inappropriate behavior, increase productive behavior, and (re)establish positive classroom interactions.
What People are Saying
“Dr. Howie Knoff, through his evidence-based Project ACHIEVE model, provided our district with shoulder-to-shoulder professional development that was timely, job-embedded, practical, time-sensitive, consistent, and measurable. Project ACHIEVE helped to integrate our problem solving, team building, functional assessment, behavior supports and interventions, instructional consultation, and family and staff involvement at the school, staff, and student levels. Through Project ACHIEVE and Dr. Knoff’s expertise, school climate and culture changed positively, students demonstrated and modeled effective social skills, behavior improved, and enhanced academic achievement was realized.”
Matthew J. Kamins, School Psychologist
Montgomery County (MD) School District“Dr. Howie Knoff has worked with our school districts through aligned professional development, individual teacher and administrator consultation, and technical assistance through distance learning and archived webinars. Through his evidence-based Project ACHIEVE model and 30 years of experience in diverse settings, cultures, and organizational circumstances, he has provided the tools that have enabled our school districts to create positive school environments. His Positive Behavioral Support activities have revolutionized the concept of working with youth and reacting to discipline issues. Dr. Knoff is considered one of the key guiding educational forces in our county. His books, including his School Discipline, Classroom Management, and Student Self-Management, are on the shelves of Shelby County counselors and administrators, and read or discussed continually. He is a leading resource for our educators—and, ultimately, our students.”
Sybil Truster, Director of Administrative Services
Shelby County (OH) Educational Service Center“As a program evaluator on three large-scale and multi-year projects with Dr. Knoff, I can tell you that his is like no other program I have evaluated. While many programs are implemented in a top down fashion, Dr. Knoff begins with a classroom management feature that wins quick support from teachers. Through his consultation and “hands-on” processes, teachers quickly see that their lives will be easier in their classrooms, and that results can be practical and possible. Dr. Knoff provides all of his training in a flexible framework rather than a script. I have seen him adapt his methods to suit the local context many times. His framework is scientifically based, which means that as long as the underlying science is maintained, his methods can match peoples’ needs. I highly recommend Dr. Knoff's approach to any school that wants its professional development to actually change teachers’ behaviors into the classroom. The most striking outcome was observing how teachers felt empowered to be the professionals they wish to be.”
Curtis J. Mearns Ph. D., Program Evaluator
Apex Education, Albuquerque, NM
Books
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