1. School-wide Positive Behavior Support
Rob Horner and George Sugai
University of Oregon and University of Connecticut
OSEP TA Center on Positive Behavior Support

2. Introductions My background
What problem behaviors are you seeing that (a) are a barrier to academic gains, and/or (b) are a barrier to social development?

3. Goals: Answer the following
What is School-wide PBS?
How can we tell if SWPBS is a good idea for our school?
Can we do SWPBS given everything else we have to do?
What are the steps? What help will we get?

4. Basic Messages
The social behavior of students affects the effectiveness of schools as learning environments.
Improving the social behavior of students requires investing in the school-wide social culture as well as in strategies for classroom, and individual student intervention.

5. School-wide PBS is the Convergence of Three Forces
Legal Expectations
Science
Practice
School-wide
Positive Behavior Support

6. What is School-wide Positive Behavior Support?
School-wide PBS is:
A systems approach for establishing the social culture and behavioral supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students.
Evidence-based features of SW-PBS
Prevention
Define and teach positive social expectations
Acknowledge positive behavior
Arrange consistent consequences for problem behavior
On-going collection and use of data for decision-making
Continuum of intensive, individual intervention supports.
Implementation of the systems that support effective practices

7. Establishing a Social Culture
Common Language
MEMBERSHIP
Common Experience
Common Vision/Values

8.  Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized SCHOOL-WIDE
Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior
SCHOOL-WIDE
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR
SUPPORT
~5%
Secondary Prevention:
Specialized Group
Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior
~15%
Primary Prevention:
School-/Classroom-
Wide Systems for
All Students,
Staff, & Settings 
~80% of Students

9. Positive Behavior Support Social Competence & Academic Achievement
OUTCOMES
Supporting
Student Behavior
Supporting
Decision
Making
DATA
PRACTICES
SYSTEMS
Supporting
Staff Behavior

10. School-wide Systems: Create a positive school culture:
School environment is predictable
1. common language
2. common vision (understanding of expectations)
3. common experience (everyone knows)
School environment is positive
regular recognition for positive behavior
School environment is safe
violent and disruptive behavior is not tolerated
School environment is consistent
adults use similar expectations.

11. Why should we be committed to implementation of SW-PBIS?
SW-PBS benefits children
Reduction in problem behavior
Office discipline referrals
Suspensions
Expulsions
Improved effectiveness for intensive interventions
Increased student engagement
Risk and protective factors improve
Students perceive school as a safer, more supportive environment
Improved academic performance
When coupled with effective instruction
Improved family involvement IL 90
summary
Illinois ISAT

12. Why should we be committed to implementation of SW-PBS?
Benefits to faculty and staff:
Improved consistency across faculty
Better collaboration in support of individual students
Improved classroom management
Classroom routines
Strategies for preventing and pre-empting problem behavior
Reduced faculty absenteeism
Increased faculty retention
Improved substitute performance/perception
Increased ratings of faculty “effectiveness”
Staff perceive themselves as more effective due to coherent planning, improved student behavior, effective strategies for addressing problems.

13. Why should we be committed to implementation of SW-PBS?
Benefits to District/Community
Improved cost effectiveness
1 ODR = 15 min staff time; 45 min student time
Sustained effects across administrator, faculty, staff, student change.
Avoids cost of continually re-creating systems that draw resources away from effective education.
Administrative benefits of scale
Cost savings for data systems
Effective transitions among faculty when they shift from one school to another.
Effective innovation
Data systems promote innovation.
Focus on research-based practices
Kennedy

14. What do you see in schools using SW-PBS?
Teams meeting regularly to:
Review their data
Determine if PBS practices are being used
Determine if PBS practices are being effective
Identify the smallest changes that are likely to produce the largest effects
But focusing on the use of evidence-based practices

15. What do you see in schools using SW-PBS?
Clearly defined behavioral expectations that have been defined, posted, taught and acknowledged.

16. What do you see in schools using SW-PBS?
Students who are able to tell you the expectations of the school.
Students who identify the school as safe, predictable and fair.
Students who identify adults in the school as actively concerned about their success.

17. Behavioral Expectations
Core values for your school
3-5 (simply stated)
Positively stated (describe what you want)
Memorable
Student-appropriate language
Basic values… tied to practical behaviors through your teaching matrix

18. School-wide Expectations
What are the behavioral expectations in your school?
Do students know both the “words” and the “behaviors?”

19. For each cell in the matrix What is the one best example of
Teaching Matrix
Location 1
Location 2
Location 3
Location 4
Location 5
Location 6
Expectation 1
Expectation 2
Expectation 3
Expectation 4
Expectation 5
For each cell in the matrix
What is the one best example of
the “right behavior?”
2. What is the correct alternative to
the most common behavioral error?

20. Are Rewards Dangerous?
“…our research team has conducted a series of reviews and analysis of (the reward) literature; our conclusion is that there is no inherent negative property of reward. Our analyses indicate that the argument against the use of rewards is an overgeneralization based on a narrow set of circumstances.”
Judy Cameron, 2002
Cameron, 2002
Cameron & Pierce, 1994, 2002
Cameron, Banko & Pierce, 2001
“The undermining effect of extrinsic reward on intrinsic motivation remains unproven”
Steven Reiss, 2005
Akin-Little, K. A., Eckert, T. L., Lovett, B. J., & Little, S. G. (2004). Extrinsic reinforcement in the classroom: Bribery or best practices. School Psychology Review, 33,
Use of rewards in
Education

21. “What the Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently”
“What the Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently” Buckingham & Coffman 2002, Gallup Interviews with 1 million workers, 80,000 managers, in 400 companies.
Create working environments where employees:
1. Know what is expected
2. Have the materials and equipment to do the job correctly
3. Receive recognition each week for good work.
4. Have a supervisor who cares, and pays attention
5. Receive encouragement to contribute and improve
6. Can identify a person at work who is a “best friend.”
7. Feel the mission of the organization makes them feel like their jobs are important
8. See the people around them committed to doing a good job
9. Feel like they are learning new things (getting better)
10. Have the opportunity to do their job well.

22. Acknowledgement System: (How would you acknowledge “showing respect for others”?)
Elementary
Middle
High School
Specific Student
Groups/
Class

23. Video

24. What do you see in schools using SW-PBS?
Team-based systems for Targeted, and Intensive behavior support for children with more significant needs.

25. What do you see in schools using SW-PBS?
Faculty and staff who are active problem solvers.
They have the right information
They have efficient organizational structures
They have effective outcome measures
They have support for high-fidelity implementation and active innovation.

26. Measurable Benefits for Children
Positive, supportive social culture
Active engagement in school/learning
Reductions in problem behavior
Increases in academic outcomes
Active participation of families/community
SWIS
NYC SWIS

27. Examples
Video link
FRMS

28. Iowa Elementary School

29. An effective implementation process
Commitment
Administrator
Faculty
Team
Team-based process
Coaches
Behavioral Expertise
Contextual Fit (Adapt to specific context)
2-3 Year process
Team Schedule

30. Leadership Team Visibility Political Support Funding Evaluation
Active Coordination
Evaluation
Training
Coaching
Local School Teams/Demonstrations

31. Main Messages Invest in prevention
Build a social culture of competence
Focus on different systems for different challenges
Build local capacity through team processes, and adaptation of the practices to fit the local context
Use data for decision-making
Begin with active administrative leadership
Examples