RAMP and PBIS: “They Definitely Support One Another”: The Results of a Phenomenological Study (Part One)

Abstract

Scholars have explored the impact of comprehensive school counseling programs on student outcomes, including those programs that garnered the RAMP (Recognized ASCA [American School Counselor Association] Model Program) designation. A surfeit of empirical examinations of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) outcomes also are extant. Although researchers have investigated RAMP and PBIS individually and conceptual articles have suggested models for aligning these two frameworks, scholarly investigations of their interaction are scarce. Researchers in this study conducted a phenomenological inquiry with 10 school counselors employed in schools that featured both a RAMP designation and implementation of PBIS with fidelity. The researchers determined four resulting themes regarding school counselors’ lived experiences working in schools with both the RAMP designation and high levels of PBIS implementation: (a) RAMP–PBIS interaction, (b) “the data is amazing,” (c) “part of the [school] culture,” and (d) challenges and benefits.