Cultivating Positive Teacher-student Relationships: Effects of Tailored Positive Behavior Support Interventions on Classroom Discipline

High fidelity implementation of school-wide PBIS has been linked with improvements in student and staff behavior, but less is known about which aspects of the model may be present in schools prior to training, and whether some features of PBIS are implemented faster than others. The present study examines the progression of school-wide PBIS implementation using School-wide Evaluation Tool data collected across three years from 21 schools randomly assigned to receive training in PBIS and 16 schools not trained in PBIS. Trained schools evidenced significantly higher levels of implementation fidelity. Non-trained schools showed some increases, but lagged behind trained schools on all subscales except Systems for Responding to Violations. Findings suggest that program trainers and behavior support coaches should concentrate initial efforts on strategies for Defining and Teaching Expectations, whereas less time may be needed for developing Systems for Responding to Violations. Recommendations for high fidelity implementation of school-wide PBIS are provided. ********** Increased legislative pressure on schools to prevent disruptive and violent behavior has likely contributed to the popularity of preventive interventions, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). This whole-school preventive intervention strategy is currently implemented in over 5,000 schools nationwide (Sugai & Horner, 2006) and aims to prevent disruptive behavior and enhance the school's organizational climate by creating and sustaining a comprehensive system of behavioral support. Previous research has indicated that implementation of school-wide PBIS is associated with a reduction in office discipline referrals (Taylor-Greene et al., 1997) and suspensions (Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005), and improvements in academic performance (Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002). Because PBIS procedures are rooted in basic and commonly understood behavioral, social learning, and organizational principles, it is likely that some schools implement aspects of school-wide PBIS before receiving formal training in the procedures. To date, there has been no research systematically documenting the features of school-wide PBIS that are present in schools prior to training, or describing the progression of school-wide PBIS implementation once training has occurred. Identifying core components of school-wide PBIS that are evident in the absence of formal training and determining the components of school-wide PBIS which are implemented with the greatest ease may facilitate the training process. This information may also help behavior support coaches, district liaisons, and other PBIS trainers concentrate their support efforts on aspects of the model which are most challenging to implement. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Whole-school PBIS is the application of a continuum of positive behavior supports, initially developed for children with special education needs, to the entire school environment. The PBIS model is three-tiered, which includes a layer of "primary supports" implemented school-wide (referred to from here on as school-wide PBIS), a "secondary supports" level of targeted interventions for groups of children with greater needs, and a "tertiary supports" layer of more intensive supports for individual students (for a review, see Sugai, Horner, & Gresham, 2002). This proactive, preventive approach contrasts with a reactive approach where student behavior problems are addressed only after they have occurred. The school-wide PBIS model utilizes universal positive preventive support strategies that provide systematic training of expected social behaviors and reinforcement of those behaviors to all students in the school. Approximately 80% to 90% of students are projected to respond successfully to the school-wide component of PBIS. A second group of students (about 5-10%) who engage in problem behaviors beyond acceptable levels, even in the presence of school-wide PBIS, are provided secondary supports that include efficient group-based interventions with increased structure and contingent feedback (e. …

Many American students are subject to adverse effects of complex and chronic childhood trauma resulting in gaps within social-emotional competencies. This case-study research examined the impacts of one research- based proactive approach to student behaviour using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Second-Step Learning Curriculum, and staff trauma-informed/ACES training in one Midwest rural Kansas Elementary School. The over-arching research question was, What are the impacts of implementing Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) system, in conjunction with the Second Step Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum? Three sub-questions emerged: 1) What is the impact of PBIS and SEL Curriculum on disciplinary referrals? 2) How is PBIS/SEL affecting teaching/learning? and 3) How is PBIS/SEL affecting building climate/morale? Data collection and analysis included: Skyward-in-school/out-of-school suspensions; a Likert scale staff-questionnaire on PBIS and Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum (Second Step) implementation; staff open-ended questionnaire; principal interview and researchers’ critical reflections. Analysis of ODRs data from the academic years (2015-2018) indicate a decrease of in-school/out-of-school suspensions. Data collection received a 78.6% response rate. Results confirmed 93% of staff agree or strongly agree that students understand the Trailway Ticket System (Tier 1 PBIS intervention that reinforces positive student behaviors indicated on the building matrix), while 87% of staff agree or strongly agree they understand and consistently enforce the incentive/Tier 1 system. 74% of staff reported a positive school climate, and 60% reported strong/positive teacher morale. Findings suggest more resources for optimal program implementation to continue student success.

Behavioral problems among students have been observed to be a significant challenge that is prevalent in inclusive schools. An effective approach for addressing this issue includes the implementation of Positive Behavior Support (PBS). Therefore, this study aims to thoroughly explore important aspects of PBS and provide recommendations for the optimal implementation of the support program in inclusive schools using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). In order to achieve the stated objective, the investigation adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to review relevant articles. The article search focusedon publications from the last 5-10 years (2014-2024). Accordingly, inclusion and exclusion criteria were established with a sole focus on studies related to the implementation or implications of PBS, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), or School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). Articles were sourced from the Scopus electronic database, and out of the 415 publications obtained related to the subject matter, 16 were observed to completely meet the inclusion criteria. The reviewed studies were observed to have predominantly adopted quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. The obtained results showed that the important aspects of implementing effective PBS in inclusive schools consisted of school readiness (teachers and staff), inclusiveness of parents, contributions of professionals, engagement of the surrounding community, effective communication and cooperation among stakeholders, comprehensive planning to program evaluation, and availability of adequate school facilities. Moreover, staff and teacher training is also an important prerequisite for schools intending to successfully implement PBS intervention programs.

This special issue of Behavioral Disorders features a collection of studies designed to improve the outcomes of children and youth with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders across multitiered continua of supports using positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). Studies published in this issue address a variety of educational contexts (school and district) across the continuum of support systems (universal, targeted, and overall systems). Five research studies are presented that illustrate current topics in positive behavior supports (PBS) that focus on improving students’ cognitive abilities, social skills, and emotional well-being across school and district levels.

The purpose of this action research study was to examine how the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework at Franklin Middle School (pseudonym) integrates culturally responsive practices to promote social justice in a predominantly White school. Discipline data at the school indicated that Black and Hispanic students were disproportionately referred to the office for behavioral infractions as compared to their White peers. During Cycle 1 of the action research study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather thick, rich descriptions of Franklin's PBIS model from the voices of the participants. In addition, the researcher observed town hall meetings, analyzed PBIS artifacts, and conducted a survey to triangulate the data. Cycle 1 provided an understanding of the intersection of PBIS, classroom management, school discipline, and culturally responsive practices at the research site. While educators explicitly teach the core values and school-wide expectations to students, this preventive measure is not targeting disciplinary recidivism and, by many accounts, is not framed in culturally responsive teaching practices. This initial research cycle suggested that some students may not feel a sense of belonging to the school community. Cycle 2 of the action research process, rooted in the findings of Cycle 1, aimed to explore mentorship as a culturally responsive tiered intervention within the PBIS model. The researcher used the structure of a design lab to co-construct a mentorship framework with participants from both inside and outside of the institution. This study revealed that PBIS alone cannot combat racial disproportionality in school discipline; relationship-building is at the center of reducing problem behavior; and the design lab structure is a model for school change with stakeholders. Implications for the organization included the development of a culturally responsive tiered intervention within the school's PBIS framework, two new roles to coordinate the mentoring plan in action, and a partnership with an outside community agency to support and sustain the work.--Author's abstract

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is an empirically-based framework for proactively supporting student behavior across school settings. One technique schools utilize to teach and reinforce behavioral expectations is through the use of video. Since 2010, the Association for Positive Behavior Support has hosted the PBIS Film Festival at the annual meeting to showcase schools’ use of video with 56 videos entered in the PBIS Film Festival in 2017. Despite the current utilization of videos as a means to sustain and/or support PBIS initiatives, the supports for creating and procedures for disseminating videos remain unclear. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to gain an understanding of how schools are creating (e.g., resources, administration commitment) and utilizing (i.e., screening) PBIS videos. Interviews were conducted with 14 PBIS film creators who submitted videos to the 2017 annual PBIS Film Festival. Analysis revealed themes surrounding the development and use of PBIS videos. Implications for PBIS video creation and use are provided.

There is growing interest in positive behavior supports among state departments of education and local school systems as an efficient and effective strategy for addressing students' increasing and intensifying discipline needs. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is one whole-school prevention strategy that alters the school environment by creating improved systems (e.g., discipline, reinforcement, and data management) and procedures (e.g., collection of office referral data, training, team-based decision making) to promote positive changes in student and teacher behaviors. This article describes a statewide systems approach to the implementation of PBIS. An overview of the PBIS Maryland multilevel implementation model is presented with a focus on school- and district-level structures that support implementation. Preliminary results are presented from the state's summative and formative evaluation being conducted in 467 schools trained in PBIS. The evaluation findings suggest that the state has developed an efficient statewide structure for promoting high-fidelity implementation of PBIS.

Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a prevention-oriented, data-driven, multi-tiered framework for providing a continuum of behavioural supports to enhance student and school outcomes. PBIS involves the application of increasingly intense tiers of support, based on student need. At Tier 1, a school identifies 3–5 positively worded behavioural expectations that are taught, modelled, practiced, reinforced, and prompted consistently school-wide with all students. At Tier 2, students at risk, or experiencing minimal behavioural concerns, are provided with low-intensity interventions (for example, small group support, mentoring) and their progress is monitored. Finally, at Tier 3, students who are exhibiting significant behavioural concerns, and those who have not sufficiently responded to Tier 1 and Tier 2 services, are provided with intensive supports, often including a functional behaviour assessment and individualized behaviour intervention plan. Research has shown PBIS to improve pro-social behaviour, school climate, and academic achievement, while also reducing discipline referrals, problem behaviour, and school exclusion. However, the effectiveness of PBIS across cultural settings depends on the degree to which PBIS is planned for and implemented in a culturally responsive manner. Although culturally responsive practices have certainly been included within the PBIS discourse, we argue that increased attention to this critical feature of PBIS is warranted. For example, it is important for schools to ensure that the Tier 1 PBIS expectations are developed with the local cultural context in mind, and are taught and reinforced in a culturally congruent way. Furthermore, schools should disaggregate their PBIS student data by student subgroups (such as, racial/ethnic, gender, economic), and analyze and address the causes of any disparities in outcomes. The chapter aims to: (a) describe the key features of PBIS, provide a rationale for its use in schools, and review research on its effectiveness, (b) highlight the importance of, and key considerations for, ensuring that PBIS is culturally-responsive, and (c) provide recommendations for implementing and evaluating a comprehensive and culturally-responsive PBIS framework.

The following literature review provides information about School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives at the elementary, middle, and high school building levels. The review also explains the importance teacher morale and overall school climate has on a student’s education. A second component of this literature review focuses on corporal punishment in schools and how the use of this behavior discipline can serve as a detriment to students and their education process. The intentions and outcomes of this literature review are to educate and inform the reader of two behavioral interventions and the successes and lasting effects of those interventions. First, we will begin with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

.There is growing interest in the use of a multitiered system of supports framework to address issues related to school climate and bullying. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is one such model that has received considerable attention; however, nearly all of the extant literature has focused on elementary and middle schools, with limited research on high schools. Furthermore, research on PBIS implementation in high schools, particularly in relation to school context, is scant. The current article examined the adoption and implementation of PBIS in 31 high schools randomly assigned to implement PBIS, within the context of a larger 58 high school randomized trial. We first present descriptive data on the rollout of the core features of PBIS, as measured by a set of research-based implementation tools administered by outside observers. We then explore the extent to which baseline rates of bullying and other school-level indicators of disorder were associated with the adoption of the multitiered PBIS framework over the course of 2 years. Multilevel analyses on the longitudinal implementation data indicated that schools with higher baseline rates of bullying generally implemented PBIS with greater fidelity over time. This suggests that schools with increased bullying may be particularly motivated to adopt PBIS. However, other baseline indicators of disorder were generally not associated with PBIS implementation and thus do not appear to be barriers to adoption. Implications for implementation research and practice in high schools are discussed.

POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS and Supports (PBIS), created by Horner and Sugai, is a schoolwide application of behavioral systems and interventions to achieve behavior change in schools. PBIS has a strong foundation in behavior analysis and is a non-curricular framework that strives for a fl exible fi t with a school’s culture and context. It can be implemented in any school level, type, or setting. A three-tiered, system-wide framework is applied that guides the development and implementation of a continuum of behavioral and academic programs and services: ● Universal (primary, schoolwide “green-zone”); ● Selective (secondary, “yellow-zone”); and ● Indicated (tertiary, “redzone”) (see Figure 1). The universal elements of the model, typically referred to as schoolwide PBIS, are the most commonly implemented aspect of the three-tiered model.

In 1957, Horace Mann stated, Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of conditions of men (p. 87). Public education was designed to bridge the inequalities of society such that experiences in schools could ensure all individuals have the opportunity to excel in school and in life. This tenet has been challenged in recent years as the achievement and opportunity gaps in our schools continue to grow. A disproportionate number of youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are not succeeding and may be excluded from public school (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). In 2012, for example, African American students were 3.5 times more likely than their Caucasian peers to be suspended (U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, 2014). African American, Latino, and Native American students receive harsher punishments for more subjective reasons such as disrespect, insubordination or excessive noise (Losen & Gillespie, 2012). Further, data from the National Center on Educational Statistics show that while the gap is narrowing slightly, African American youth lag behind their Caucasian peers an average of 23-26 points in math and 21-26 points in reading assessments (Vanneman, Hamilton, Baldwin Anderson, & Rahman, 2009).To close these achievement gaps and disparities in discipline practices, important research has linked schoolwide behavior programs and student achievement and engagement outcomes (Lassen, Steele, & Sailor, 2006; Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005). A recent focus has included schoolwide behavior programs that are multi-tiered in nature, including Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs. PBIS programs integrate research-based practice within a three-tier approach, including those at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention and intervention. This multi-tiered system of supports has been supported by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA; 2014) and cited as evidence-based practices that have potential in closing the achievement gap (Benner, Kutash, Nelson, & Fisher, 2013). Recent research has focused on how to implement PBIS in culturally responsive ways (Bal, Kozleski, Schrader, Rodriguez, & Pelton, 2014; Greflund, McIntosh, Mercer, & May, 2014) to better impact disproportionality in discipline outcomes that exist in schools today.School counselors with extensive training in data-informed student intervention and school-level systemic change can play integral roles in PBIS implementation and can serve as leaders in the process (Cressey, Whitcomb, McGilvray-Rivet, Morrison, & Shander-Reynolds, 2014; Goodman-Scott, 2014). Goodman-Scott, Betters-Bubon, and Donohue (2015) noted that PBIS programs can be integrated with comprehensive school counseling programs to enhance the role of the school counselor and better improve student outcomes. With knowledge of cultural diversity (Schulz, Hurt, & Lindo, 2014) and data-focused interventions to close the achievement gap (Hatch, 2013), school counselors are poised to ensure that these programs are implemented in ways that combat disproportionality. While literature exists on culturally responsive PBIS (Fallon, O'Keeffe, & Sugai, 2012) and the school counselor's role in PBIS (Goodman-Scott, 2014), there does not exist research examining the school counselor's role implementing culturally responsive PBIS programs, despite their role as multiculturally competent advocates for student equity. This article extends existing research on culturally responsive PBIS by examining longitudinal data from one elementary school that intentionally engaged in culturally responsive practices within PBIS implementation, highlighting the leadership role of the school counselor. To better understand these potential relationships, we will first provide an overview of PBIS. Second, we will provide an overview of research linking PBIS to culturally responsive practice, focusing on how PBIS can combat disproportionality. …

Notwithstanding their empirically validated credentials and social justice orientations, a mono-dimensional approach to Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) cannot singlehandedly meet the unique needs of minoritised children and young people who have experienced acute, cumulative, or complex traumas. Experiences of trauma have been empirically proven to have a debilitating effect on minoritised children’s learning and socio-emotional functioning. This causal effect necessitates the development of trauma-informed multitiered models of intervention to mitigate the adverse effects of trauma and to support these students’ behaviour and learning. The article discusses the necessity of developing trauma-informed and intersectionality-based PBIS, while providing some insights into how trauma-informed education and care should be incorporated in PBIS planning and implementation strategies at the school and community levels. These analytical insights complement earlier work on promoting an ecological/interactional approach to understanding students’ developmental trajectories and their impact on academic and social behaviours, as well as more recent equity-focused PBIS approaches to improving equity in school discipline.

Positive behaviour support and schoolwide positive behavioural interventions and supports (PBIS) emerged in response to the misuse of behavioural theory and ableism in educational systems. Yet even with these advances, inequitable outcomes based on ability and race persist. The purpose of this article is to describe an equity-centred schoolwide PBIS approach that harnesses behavioural theory and the PBIS framework to focus specifically on systems change to lead to equitable outcomes. There is emerging evidence of promise for increasing racial equity in student outcomes, and implications and suggestions are provided to increase equity by disability status. In providing practitioners with clear steps to reduce ableism and racism in educational systems, this line of research stands to benefit all students and families.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides effective behavior management in many schools, yet such systematic approaches to behavior management are generally not implemented aboard school buses. This article describes guidance for the expansion of PBIS onto school buses. Research supporting the use of PBIS in school and transportation settings is described. Steps for implementing PBIS on school buses are provided in relation to an example of the practice in a small school district.