Rate My Professor Howard Wills

Howard Wills is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Kansas and a Senior Scientist at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project. He earned a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2002, an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas in 2006, an M.A. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas in 1997, and a B.S. in Psychology from Baker University in 1995. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, he has dedicated over 20 years to research at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, serving as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on federal education grants exceeding $25 million. These projects, conducted in collaboration with colleagues nationwide, have produced extensive peer-reviewed publications that advance evidence-based practices in education.

Wills’ research interests encompass evidence-based academic and behavioral interventions for students with challenging behavior, the development and evaluation of multi-tiered systems of support and classroom management interventions, and technology-based self-monitoring to aid children and adults with disabilities. He leads efforts to scale up the I-Connect self-monitoring intervention and the CW-FIT classroom management program through community-engaged research employing single-case and randomized control group designs. Key publications include “Use of evidence-based, small-group reading instruction for English language learners in elementary grades: Secondary-tier intervention” (Kamps et al., Learning Disability Quarterly, 2007), “Implementation of a self-monitoring application to improve on-task behavior: A high school pilot study” (Wills et al., 2014), “Classroom Observations and Effects of Reading” (Wills et al., 2010), and “Student and Teacher Outcomes of the Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) Program” (Wills et al., 2016). In recognition of his contributions, he received the 2015 mid-career award from the Friends of the Life Span Institute. His work significantly influences classroom practices, student engagement, and behavioral support strategies across U.S. schools.