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Positive behavior support in urban schools: Can we prevent the escalation of antisocial behavior?
... While the data above suggests that most attention is being given to school discipline policies that emphasize punishment over reward and exclusion (i.e., suspension and expulsion) over inclusion, behavioral scientists have long recognized that better behavioral outcomes are realized through the use of behavioral training and consistent, positive consequences for prosocial behavior. Similarly, McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge (2003) have emphasized the role of setting events, such as the excessive use of punishing methods of control and "zero tolerance" policies, in the paradoxical escalation and maintenance of disruptive and antisocial behaviors. The trajectory from maladaptive behavior to academic failure to dropout to a non-productive parasitic lifestyle that further embraces challenging antisocial behavior is a well recognized core of many of our social pathologies. ...
... In addition to the validation studies reported on the assessment tools, there is an emerging evidence base supporting the efficacy of the entire SWPBS process. (Bohanon et al., 2006;Cohen, Kincaid, & Childs, 2007;Kincaid, Childs, Blasé, & Wallace, 2007;McCurdy, Mannella, and Eldridge, 2003;Sugai & Horner, 2006;). Successful implementation of SWPBS on a school-wide level requires the consistent and accurate adherence to process steps. ...
... Killu, Weber, Derby, and Barretto (2006) have asserted that behavior management techniques, such as token economy systems, provide an effective method for dealing with problem behavior. Although there is some question as to how effective a token economy system will be on students as they get older, the evidence supports the efficacy of these behavior management and acknowledgement systems in schools as an functional component in the reduction of ODRs, suspensions, expulsions, and other exclusionary practices (Netzel & Eber, 2003;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Scott, 2001;Bohanon et al., 2006). ...
The Issues on Education and Research: Volume 2 contains papers from the various conferences organized by ATINER during the last couple of years. Most of the papers in this volume were presented at the education conference. This conference attracts over 200 participants from over 50 different countries. In this volume we include about 30 papers organized into three parts. The first part consists of papers which use quantitative empirical methodology to address an education issue. Similarly, the second part of the book includes papers that employ qualitative empirical analyses and the third part incorporate papers that use either case studies or description and historical approaches to study education issues.
The categorization of papers into empirical quantitative studies and empirical qualitative studies or even into descriptive studies is sometimes very difficult. Of course, this is not to be confused with the empirical-theoretical distinction, even though the qualitative approaches can be considered as an inductive method in building if not theories at least hypotheses to be tested with empirical quantitative studies. Thus, one may argue that the process of an education study should start with a qualitative (exploratory) study which among other things develops hypotheses (logical and realistic). The second stage is to explore the issue using an empirical model and collect data to verify the hypotheses, using descriptive or analytical statistical methods. A third stage in this process of education research is studies that discuss these findings as part of a qualitative research process and come up with policy recommendations or suggestions and advices on how to solve a practical educational problem. The last stage can include particular case studies (problem or country based), surveys of literature and meta-analysis of a specific issue or even an historical account of an education theme.
The papers of this volume can be considered as belonging to one of the three types (processes) of education research corresponding to the three parts of the book. The themes covered are very diverse reflecting the general nature of ATINER’s conferences on education. This is not a book on a specific education issue. The topics included reflect the interest of the author(s) and their presentation at the conference. However, this is not the only dissimilarity. The included studies are not at the same level of rigor and research progress. Some studies are an initial attempt by the author to investigate the specific issue while others have examined the particular issue more rigorously and systematically. This mixed of research level has its own merits particularly for the young reader of this volume. Some of the papers of this volume should be considered as early drafts of an ongoing research program by the author(s). This is the case with all ATINER’s publications giving the opportunity to many researchers from a diverse group of countries to meet with academic colleagues from all over the word to discuss research and teaching issues. In this volume the authors are coming from USA, U.K., Turkey, and Slovenia. In the next sections of this introductory chapter, the papers included in each of the three parts of the book are very briefly presented.
Qualitative Education Studies
This part includes nine papers. In chapter two, Kimmie Tang and Dennis Kao, look at the role of gender and ethnicity in the education of Cambodian American students in urban high school of USA. The purpose of their study is to contribute to the education literature of how gender and ethnic identity can impact on school achievement. The following chapter is another study on ethnicity. Geeta Ludhra and Deborah Jones present research on a group of nine third-generation, British South-Asian girls (aged between 13-16 years) and investigates their lived experiences. Information are drawn from a large secondary school setting in urban London where around 90% of the pupils are of South Asian origin. They focus on friendships as seen through the eyes of the girls. They emphasize the crucial role of talk in developing relationships and forming identities of the girls concerned. Chapter four examines American Indian Schools. In particular, the authors, Rebecca Monhardt, Jim Barta and Kurt H. Becker present a project whose aims was to create community advisory panels (CAPs) in American Indian Schools. This project aims at guiding teacher professional development in order to delivery student-centered, culturally responsive science instruction.
In chapter five the authors Z. Canan Karababa and Aliye Erdem examine attitudes of prospective teachers towards cooperative learning. It is found that prospective teachers seem to have positive attitudes toward courses that integrate cooperative learning stages. The next chapter is also a paper from Turkey and examines again teachers’ opinions and attitudes. Tolga Erdogan and Ozge Erdogan examine the opinions of classroom teachers, pre-service teachers of classroom teaching and first year students of primary education on cursive handwriting. The authors conclude with some recommendations on cursive handwriting teaching.
Aysegul Celepoglu and Nuray Kisa in chapter seven look the effects of novels and films on children. Children in three elementary schools of Ankara, Turkey are used to extract information. The authors conclude with recommendations on how to expand their research. The next chapter by Tatjana Devjak and Srečko Devjak deals with preschool teachers’ views on the meaning of movement activities or movement games for children’s healthy development and the development of their personalities. Quality of education in preschool depends to a great extent on teachers’ professional competence. Chapter 9 looks also at preschool teachers and the movement education. The authors, Elif Ustun, Menekşe Boz and Ozge Metin, consider the learning of the movement skills. The authors conclude that the preschool education program should be revised in order to develop the basic movement needs of children. The last chapter of this part by Panagiotis Teklos examines secondary students’ attitudes towards music education. He uses three secondary schools of Paphos, Cyprus. The sample involved 44 final year pupils of one Gymnasium school and 38 pupils of the first, second and third grades of two Lyceums. The analyses show evidence of positive attitudes towards the study of theoretical aspects of music modules, but little evidence of satisfaction for practical aspects, including extra-curricular activities.
Quantitative Education Studies
This part incorporates eleven studies that in one way or another use statistical analyses to explore education issues. The first chapter of this second part, authored by Margarida S.D. Serpa, Suzana N. Caldeira, Carlos J. Gomes, Aurea S.T. Sousa and Osvaldo D.L. Silva examine the dimensions of the student’s daily life and present results based on the construction of two evaluative scales of this performance (one in academic areas and another one in pro-academic areas). In the next chapter, Susran Erkan Eroglu examines the aggression behavior of high school students in Turkey. “Self (ego) Identity Status Scale” and “Aggression Questionnaire” were used in order to collect the data. Research indicated that there was a significant relationship between the students’ (successful, uncertain, dependent and confused) aggression levels and their self (ego) identity status. In chapter 13, Tuncay Ayas and Metin Deniz look at aggression (bullying) in primary schools in Turkey. Results show that most of the bullying behaviors occurred in “class”, later in “corridors” and lastly in “school garden” at school. Also, bullying mostly occurred during “recess” at schools. Mostly, boys tend to bullying more than girls and the peers in the same class tend to bullying more than the others.
Chapter fourteen is devoted to value education curriculum in primary schools. The authors, Canay Demirhan Iscan and Nuray Senemoglu, design a values education program for 4th grade primary school pupils. The aim of the values education program was to equip pupils with a set of prespecified values and encourage them to internalize these values. Reflecting the opinions of experts, the program emphasized the values of open-mindedness, honesty, responsibility, helpfulness, which correspond to “universalism” and “benevolence” value types in Schwartz’s value classification system. those who participated in it also used more statements reflecting the values emphasized in the program than did others.
In chapter fifteen, John Vincent Oates examines how the curriculum in Scotish secondary scholls promotes the teaching of China. The author considers this as important given the increasing Sino-Scottish engagement, and the introduction of a new “Curriculum for Excellence” designed to enhance teacher autonomy. The results of a national survey of more than 200 teachers in 2008 show a number of variables that directly impact on the responsiveness of teachers in changing the curriculum. However, it is found that there exists a decline in the provision of the ‘China’ topic in Modern Studies. The study concludes by providing key policy recommendations.
In the following chapter, Hasan Bozgeyikli uses a survey method to study the attitudes and behaviors of the primary students towards career development. “Childhood Career Development Scale”, “Perceived Social Support Scale” and “Personal Information Form” were used. The findings show that there is a statistical significant difference between students’ career development and perceived social support. However the regression analysis results indicated that perceived social support, socio-economic status and gender influenced students’ career development in a significant way. The research results are important for providing data to experts in career development of elementary school students. Recommendations were made according research findings.
In chapter seventeen, Vida Manfreda Kolar and Tatjana Hodnik Cadez describe the major characteristics of didactic material, points out the problems associated with the use of such material in teaching and learning mathematics. They present the results of an empirical study that attempted to determine whether the views on the issue of didactic material in teaching and learning mathematics depend on the status of respondents, i.e. teachers and students.
In chapter eighteen, the authors, Esra Omeroglu, Sener Buyukozturk, Yasemin Aydogan and Arzu Ozyurek, use a focus group meeting of preschool and primary school teachers within the context of a project of “Improving the Skills of Problem Solving of the Children at Preschools and 1-5th Grades of Primary Schools, and Norm Study of Turkey”. A statistically significant difference was found between knowledge, behavior and evaluation scores for a problem-solving skills of teachers in favor of preschool teachers. It was also determined that the knowledge and behavior scores of the teachers was determined by class size.
Sofokli Garo in chapter nineteen compares educational practices in Albanian and USA schools. The study looks at the differences of American and Albanian students in educational practices exerted in different cultural environments. His analyses found significant differences in some of instructional and non-instructional practices. American classrooms were characterized by practices, such as, the use of multiple-choice tests, extended use of hand-held calculators, and self-competence, whereas Albanian classrooms were characterized by practices, such as reliance on textbooks, blackboard based teaching, and tendency to spend large amounts of time with friends.
In the following chapter, Yasemin Aydogan compares fourth-grade primary school students’ problem solving skills and in-class activities. The sample is drawn from 152 fourth-grade students of two schools selected in Çankaya Region in Ankara, Turkey. It is found that there is a significant and positive relation between students’ activities in classroom and problem solving skills. In the last chapter of this part, the authors Srecko Devjak and Joze Bencina look at the economics of Slovenian Kindergartens. The paper analyses the setting up of standards to be implemented in preschool education, the system of co-financing by parents and municipalities, as well as the reasons for the above differences among municipalities.
Case Studies
In this last part of the book, an amalgam of studies are include that cover a wide range of topics using a descriptive (historical) and/or a case study (problem-related) analysis. In chapter twenty-two, John E. Kesner and Gary Bingham look at child maltreatment reports in USA. Their approach looks and compares theses reports across USA and across mandated reporter groups. They found that educational personnel made the most reports of child maltreatment to child protective service agencies in the US, but had the lowest substantiation rate among all mandated reporter groups. In the next chapter Jean H. Hollenshead, Michael D. Welch, Barzanna A. White, Gary E. Jones and Casandra Kersh analyses suspension rates in USA. The dropout rate is of great concern and the author reviews the dropout issue on a national level, and focus on one southern state, Louisiana. Determining factors such as school disciplinary policies, the need for multicultural sensitivity in adapting school climate to the student population, and socioeconomic variables are considered.
In chapter twenty-four, Djily Diagne looks at school violence. As the author claims researchers and policy makers have made substantial efforts to understand its causes and consequences and to identify effective methods to reduce its occurrence. The author presents evidence on school violence from the growing economics literature. It shows that the phenomenon has an adverse effect on the level of educational attainment and labour market outcomes. Hence, reducing violence at schools not only eases life for many students who suffer from it but should also lead to more investment in human capital.
In the next chapter, Jelena Davidova and Irena Kokina explore Latvia’s teachers’ innovative activity. Their research emphasizes the importance of identifying what teachers think about innovations in education and their own position in relation to innovative activity. In chapter twenty-six, Ayşe Cakir Ilhan examines museum education in Turkey. The study is an overview of the current situation of museum education in Turkey, especially after 2000. The next chapter is another study on Turkey. Ayse Okvuran looks at the history of drama as a teaching method. The study examines origins of drama, drama in national education curricula and drama education in universities. In the last chapter of this book, Naciye Aksoy presents the practice of multigrade schools in Turkey. Multigrade schools are prevalent and have a long history. In the countryside, the term “multigrade classes” is used for cases in which one teacher teaches more than one class of different grades at the same time in the same classroom. The main reasons for the existence of multigrade schooling are insufficient student population, inadequate school buildings, and low teacher supply. The author reviews and evaluates existing problems and current policies.
... Taking a socially responsive stance, researchers have prioritized studying PBIS implementation related to traditionally marginalized populations. PBIS has been implemented across diverse settings including urban schools (e.g., Bohannon et al., 2006;Goodman-Scott et al., 2018;Lassen et al., 2006;McCurdy et al., 2003;Netzel & Eber, 2003;Utley et al., 2002), rural schools (e.g., Oyen & Wollersheim-Shervey, 2019;Steed et al., 2013), and schools with diverse racial/ethnic student populations (e.g., Greflund et al., 2014;McCurdy et al., 2003;McIntosh et al., 2018;Utley et al., 2002;Vincent & Tobin, 2011). Researchers have also examined school variables that may affect PBIS implementation within schools. ...
... Taking a socially responsive stance, researchers have prioritized studying PBIS implementation related to traditionally marginalized populations. PBIS has been implemented across diverse settings including urban schools (e.g., Bohannon et al., 2006;Goodman-Scott et al., 2018;Lassen et al., 2006;McCurdy et al., 2003;Netzel & Eber, 2003;Utley et al., 2002), rural schools (e.g., Oyen & Wollersheim-Shervey, 2019;Steed et al., 2013), and schools with diverse racial/ethnic student populations (e.g., Greflund et al., 2014;McCurdy et al., 2003;McIntosh et al., 2018;Utley et al., 2002;Vincent & Tobin, 2011). Researchers have also examined school variables that may affect PBIS implementation within schools. ...
... The strong research base demonstrates that PBIS is an effective educational intervention that can be implemented across a variety of school settings and is associated with positive educational outcomes with a variety of populations. Researchers have examined trends in PBIS implementation in traditionally marginalized populations (e.g., Greflund et al., 2014;McCurdy et al., 2003;McIntosh et al., 2018), as well as demographic factors that are related to PBIS implementation (e.g., McIntosh et al., 2015;Molloy et al., 2013;Nese et al., 2019). Collectively, the studies to date have typically compared PBIS schools to one another, investigating training, adoption, and/or implementation trends across various demographic factors. ...
Schools implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with fidelity demonstrate a wealth of student and school benefits. At the same time, there exists limited research from an inclusive innovation perspective: examining whether schools and communities have equitable access to PBIS based on sociodemographic school and community variables. This article presents the results of an ex post facto research design examining PBIS implementation and access across sociodemographic school and community variables from an inclusive innovation lens, examining data from schools ( N = 489) in the state of Georgia. The significant interaction effects revealed that between both PBIS and non-PBIS schools, those located in suburban areas had significantly higher median household incomes compared with rural and urban schools. Additional findings included the following: PBIS rural schools had higher household incomes and lower percentages of free/reduced-price lunch than non-PBIS schools in rural communities; and PBIS schools included significantly higher proportions of students who identified as White compared with non-PBIS schools.
... Kamps (2008 (Kartub, Taylor-Greene, March, and Horner, 2000;Scott, 2001;Fox and Little, 2001;Luiselli, Putnam, and Sunderland, 2002;McCurdy, Mannella, and Eldridge, 2003;Bohanon, Fenning, Carney, Minnis-Kim, Anderson-Harriss, Moroz, and Pigott, 2006;Franzen and Kamps, 2008;Todd, Campbell, Meyer, and Horner, 2008;McIntosh, Campbell, Carter, and Dickey, 2009;Dunlap, Iovannone, Wilson, Kincaid, and Strain, 2009;Simonsen, Britton, and Young, 2010) 11 64 ...
... And the last dependent variable is "academic failure." Table 5 Classifying the Settings of the Studies Setting Author f % 1. Rural (Kartub, Taylor-Greene, March, and Horner, 2000;Todd, Campbell, Meyer, and Horner, 2008;Bradshaw, Mitchell, and Leaf, 2010) 5 24 2. Urban (Scott, 2001;McCurdy, Mannella, and Eldridge, 2003;Bohanon et al., 2006;Franzen and Kamps, 2008;Flannery, Sugai, and Anderson, 2009) 5 24 ...
... In some studies, the setting was "rural" and in others the setting was "urban." Table 6 Classifying the School Types Involved in the Studies School Author f % (Simonsen, Britton, and Young, 2010;Franzen and Kamps, 2008;Todd, Campbell, Meyer, and Horner, 2008;Macintosh, Chard, Boland, and Horner, 2006;Scott, 2001;McCurdy, Mannella, and Eldridge, 2003;Scott and Martinek, 2006) 7 41 2. High School (Bohanon, Fenning, Carney, Minnis-Kim, Anderson-Harriss, Moroz, and Pigott, 2006;Fenning et al., 2006;Flannery, Sugai, and Anderson, 2009) 3 18 ...
Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) focuses on interventions in order to meet the social behavioral demands of schools with the help of a three-tiered model. The main aim in SWPBIS is to ensure behavioral success and academic achievement of students in schools. By analyzing the related studies it was seen that there are many studies focusing on the effectiveness of SWPBIS practices in schools and there is an ascending trend in the application of SWPBIS in schools. As a result, this study was conducted to review the experimental and quasi-experimental studies related to the SWPBIS published in the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (JPBI) between 1999 and 2015. The studies were examined in depth by using epistemological document analysis in 6 categorical areas: (a) purpose, (b) participants, (c) dependent variables, (d) method, (e) limitations, and (f) recommendations. Findings are discussed in accordance with the relevant literature. Finally, new proposals were made for new research and applicability in other countries.
... which is a "systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to adopt and sustain the use of effective practices for all students" (Lewis & Sugai, 1999, p. 4). Whereas such programs have been reported to be successful in reducing behavioural and discipline problems (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Scott, 2001), based on the assumption that an improved school environment would lead to an improved focus on academic work and subsequently better academic achievement (Twemlow, Fonagy, Sacco, Gies, Evans, & Ewbank, 2001), one may expect that such programs may also improve educational outcomes that are more directly related to academic learning. In the present investigation, we examine the effects of a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) initiative implemented in the state of New South Wales in government/ public schools, and scrutinize the possibility of improvement in learning outcomes. ...
... Although PBS has been reported to be successful in reducing behavioural and discipline problems (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Scott, 2001), the Australian PBL model with its emphasis on learning (Positive Behaviour for Learning) assumes that the positive effects of the program would extend beyond behavioural benefits, and there may be ultimate benefits in broader educational terms. Unclear, however, is whether this assumption that learning will be enhanced as a direct result of improving the learning environment through positive behaviour management is supported. ...
... Twemlow et al., 2001). In particular, PBIS as a behaviour management program from which PBL was derived has proved to be effective in not only reducing behavioural and discipline problems (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Scott, 2001), but also in other outcomes (Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002 Cohen et al., 2007). Fourth, because the scores for each scale used here were consistently high for this sample of primary students, there was little scope for improvement. ...
Background: A school-wide program known as Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) that systematically reinforces positive behaviours in schools based on the USA model of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) but also emphasizes learning processes and outcomes was implemented in the Western Sydney Region (WSR) of Australia. Aim: The study aims to critically compare those schools that implemented PBL (experimental) and those that did not (control) in learning-related psychosocial outcomes. Sample: Third and fifth graders from 4 primary schools implementing PBL (experimental group, n=474) and 2 primary schools which would join the intervention in the following year (control group, n=83) were compared. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate 9 psychosocial measures: (1) school self-concept (cognitive), (2) school self-concept (affective), (3) English self-concept, (4) mathematics self-concept, (5) parent self-concept, (6) effort goal orientation, (7) planning, (8) study management, and (9) persistence. Then multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tested between-group differences in the 9 measures. Results: CFA found support for the 9 measures. MANOVA found significant between-group differences in (2), (3), (5), and (7), favouring the experimental group. Conclusion: By extending the strength of a positive behaviour support system to include an emphasis on learning processes and outcomes, PBL has made small but important contributions to some psychosocial determinants of student outcomes that may facilitate long-term learning benefits.
... PBIS espouses the proactive teaching of expected behaviors and development of positive teacher-student relationships while promoting a better school climate for all students (Fenning & Rose, 2007). Several studies have shown that PBIS has the potential to limit disciplinary referrals and improve student outcomes across a variety of urban school contexts (McCurdy, Mannella & Eldridge, 2003;Warren et al., 2003). Lassen and associates (2006) studied a school-wide PBIS implementation in an urban, inner-city middle school in the Midwest over a three-year period. ...
... Limited resources and the pressure to meet standardized test requirements often leave scarce resources and concern for addressing the underlying issues behind discipline disparities (Fenning & Rose, 2007). Also, beyond the required buy-in of teachers and administrators, successful school-wide implementation of PBIS requires bringing together school-based professionals with expert behavioral consultants from local behavioral health agencies (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Resistant bureaucratic organizations in large, urban districts may be an additional barrier to creating collaborative discipline processes that involve school personnel and the larger community (Weiner, 2003). ...
... As previously mentioned, restorative practices and discipline policies have shown the ability to limit disciplinary activity and improve student outcomes across a variety of urban school contexts (Fenning & Rose, 2007;McCurdy, Mannella & Eldridge, 2003;Warren et al., 2003). Even within schools and districts with zero tolerance mandates, a recognition of the pervasive nature of implicit bias may warrant reformulations of zero tolerance that contain specific guidelines pertaining to what offenses may be punished through exclusion (American Psychiatric Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008). ...
This article situates zero tolerance policies within the landscape of urban education post Brown v. Board of Education. School discipline has emerged as a critical arena in the quest for racial equity in education as a growing body of literature demonstrates that urban students of color are disproportionately subjected to punitive discipline as a result of zero tolerance policies. This study examines the demographic characteristics of school shootings from 1990-2011. Analysis reveals that through the mechanism of zero tolerance, a nation of urban minority students have been and continue to be punished for the actions of predominantly White, suburban/rural gunmen. The authors present alternative policies and practices, make recommendations for stakeholders, and explore the larger implications of zero tolerance mandates.
... To reduce disproportionality in disciplinary actions and support students' learning and behavior in the classroom, numerous researchers, policymakers, and practitioners have called for the development of a culturally responsive, multitiered system of support framework in schools (Bal, Thorius, & Kozleski, 2012;Bohanon et al., 2006;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Vincent, Swain-Bradway, Tobin, & May, 2011). To accomplish this goal, a few steps appear critical. ...
... These efforts are critical considering the extent to which research results indicate disproportionality related to school discipline for certain groups over the past several decades (e.g., Skiba et al., 2002). To address this issue, many researchers and practitioners have proposed culturally and contextually relevant approaches to behavior management framed within a multitiered system of support model (Bal et al., 2012;Bohanon et al., 2006;McCurdy et al., 2003). This framework is particularly flexible to support students' behavior schoolwide (Vincent et al., 2011), but also can be used in the classroom by encouraging teachers to implement empirically supported, Tier 1, culturally relevant behavior and academic practices, as well as use data to inform decision-making . ...
Disproportionality in disciplinary actions for certain racial groups has been well documented for several decades. In an effort to support all students, specifically those who are culturally and linguistically diverse, many have called for adopting a multitiered system of support framework that is considerate of student culture and school context. This framework applies to supporting students’ learning and behavior across settings, particularly in the classroom. To bridge existing gaps between theory and practice, this empirical study sought to evaluate whether teachers who self-assessed their own use of culturally and contextually relevant practices would implement a class-wide behavior plan with high levels of implementation fidelity. Results indicated that teachers who engaged in self-assessment and training did implement the plan with high levels of implementation fidelity, particularly when given performance feedback. Additionally, students tended to display slightly higher rates of academic engagement upon consistent implementation of the plan.
... Assessment continues via regular monitoring of student progress to gauge interventions' effectiveness; if students are not responsive to the first tier of intervention, more intensive interventions are provided. RTI approaches have been found to reduce anti-social behavior (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003) and improve academic performance (McCurdy et al., 2003;Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002). As shown inFigure 1-1, the desired process in progress monitoring can be seen as a feedback loop (cf.Meier, 2003) that consists of: 1. Conceptualization, treatment planning, and selection of PMOA measure(s) for a specific client, 2. Implementation of selected intervention(s), 3. Assessment of the intervention's effects on the client, 4. Analysis and interpretation of those effects, 5. ...
... Assessment continues via regular monitoring of student progress to gauge interventions' effectiveness; if students are not responsive to the first tier of intervention, more intensive interventions are provided. RTI approaches have been found to reduce anti-social behavior (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003) and improve academic performance (McCurdy et al., 2003;Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002). As shown inFigure 1-1, the desired process in progress monitoring can be seen as a feedback loop (cf.Meier, 2003) that consists of: 1. Conceptualization, treatment planning, and selection of PMOA measure(s) for a specific client, 2. Implementation of selected intervention(s), 3. Assessment of the intervention's effects on the client, 4. Analysis and interpretation of those effects, 5. ...
This is the initial version of the test manual for the Depression/Anxiety Negative Affect (DANA) Scale, a measure intended for use in progress monitoring and outcome assessment in counseling and psychotherapy. The Depression/Anxiety Negative Affect (DANA) scale is a nomothetic, change-sensitive measure that is not intervention dependent (Deno, Mirkin, & Chaing, 1982). The DANA contains NA descriptors in 5 clusters representing increasing intensity of NA. The levels are 1, Transient NA; 2, Increasing NA; 3, Moderate NA; 4, Intense NA; and 5, Extreme NA. Levels 1 and 5 represent the extremes of affective experiencing. By checking any item, the rater indicates that the target individual has experienced NA at the indicated level. Psychophysical measurement studies indicate that individuals’ ability to detect internal stimuli (such as a pain threshold) varies over trials (Gracely & Naliboff, 1996), and this rating methodology allows the clinician to indicate an intensity level without the need for exact accuracy in terms of the specific NA term chosen (cf. Hesketh, Pryor, & Gleitzman, 1989).
Paul (1986) and colleagues’ Direct Observational Coding (DOC) procedures informed several aspects of the DANA’s construction. The general principle behind DOC procedures is that recording the presence or absence of a behavior enhances test score validity, while greater inference and interpretation diminishes it. Rather than rate the frequency or intensity of NA terms with a Likert scale, DANA raters simply endorse an NA term if observed by the clinician or reported by the client. Raters also complete their NA assessments as soon as possible after a session to minimize memory errors. Paul (1986) noted that reliability of an observation decreases when the period between observation of a phenomena and the recording of the observation increases. Evaluated in two outpatient samples where clinicians produces a total of 363 session ratings with 81 clients, DANA scores evidenced adequate internal consistency, support for discriminant and convergent validity, expected gender differences, and most importantly, sensitivity to change over the course of psychosocial interventions.
... Research in the United States which has examined the effectiveness of SWPBS has offered promising results, such as decreases in office discipline referrals and suspensions (Lassen, Steele & Sailor, 2006;McCurdy, Manella, & Elridge, 2003;Nelson, Martella & Marchand-Martella, 2002;Scott & Barrett 2004;Taylor-Greene et al., 1997: Taylor-Greene & Kartub, 2000 and increases in student instructional time and attendance (Curtis, Van Horne, Roberston & Karvonen, 2010;Scott & Barrett, 2004). For example, McCurdy et al. (2003) found a 46% decrease in office discipline referrals at an American urban primary school after two years of implementation of SWPBS. ...
... Research in the United States which has examined the effectiveness of SWPBS has offered promising results, such as decreases in office discipline referrals and suspensions (Lassen, Steele & Sailor, 2006;McCurdy, Manella, & Elridge, 2003;Nelson, Martella & Marchand-Martella, 2002;Scott & Barrett 2004;Taylor-Greene et al., 1997: Taylor-Greene & Kartub, 2000 and increases in student instructional time and attendance (Curtis, Van Horne, Roberston & Karvonen, 2010;Scott & Barrett, 2004). For example, McCurdy et al. (2003) found a 46% decrease in office discipline referrals at an American urban primary school after two years of implementation of SWPBS. Further, they noted improvements in social behaviours and a significant decrease in suspensions. ...
Achievement, engagement and learning require skilled and strategic behaviour management in classrooms. New Zealand schools are about to undergo a major shift in the management of disruptive behaviour in the education system (Ministry of Education, 2010a). As part of the Positive Behaviour for Learning policy the Ministry of Education aims to implement School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) in 400 schools by 2015. Several schools in New Zealand have operated within a SWPBS framework for the past five years. This paper presents five key themes that the participants (n=11) from two of these schools believe contributed to successful implementation. Interviews and document analysis revealed that key to success were schools' readiness, student empowerment, community input, professional learning, and evidence-based decision making. Implications of these themes are provided. © This material is
... The literature base for school-wide positive behavior support implementation and outcomes has been steadily increasing over the past several years with articles on the topic being published in special mini-series on building effective behavior supports in journals such as the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Psychology in the Schools, and School Psychology Review. Applications of school-wide positive behavior supports has occurred in rural, urban, and sub-urban settings across elementary, middle, and high schools (Bohanon et al., 2006;Colvin & Fernandez, 2000;Ervin, Schaughency, Matthews, Goodman, & McGlinchey, 2007;Johnson-Gros, Lyons, & Griffin, in press;Lewis, Powers, Kelk, & Newcomer, 2002;Lohrmann-O'Rourke, Knoster, Sabatine, Smith, Horvath, & Llewellyn, 2000;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Nersesian, Todd, Lehmann, & Watson, 2000;Netzel & Eber, 2003;Sadler, 2000;Safran, 2006;Scott, 2001;Warren et al., 2003) and as part of state-wide initiatives (Chapman & Hofweber, 2000;Lewis-Palmer & Barrett, 2007;Nakasato, 2000;Shannon, Daly, Malatchi, Kvarfordt, & Yoder, 2001). In addition to the evaluation of the implementation of the different PBS components, recent articles have discussed important outcome measures including evaluation of data from the school-wide evaluation tool (SET; Horner, Todd, Lewis-Palmer, Irvin, Sugai, & Boland, 2004), school-wide benchmarks of quality (Cohen, Kincaid, & Childs, 2007) staff coaching activities (Scott & Martinek, 2006), staff and student time engaged in disciplinary procedures (Scott & Barrett, 2004) and office discipline referrals (ODR; Clonan, McDougal, Clark, & Davison, 2007;Irvin et al., 2006;Walker, Cheney, Stage, & Blum, 2005). ...
... "unmanageable" leading to removal from the school environment and placement in juvenile detention facilities or residential treatment centers (Lewis, et al., 1998;McCurdy, et al., 2003). The model adopted by this school district sought to keep students in school while providing them with the wrap-around services needed to address their needs. ...
The applied science of positive behavior supports (PBS) uses empirically-based educational and systems change methods to expand an individual’s behavioral repertoire and minimize the occurrence of problem behavior (Carr et al., 2002). PBS was initially developed as an alternative to punishment-based interventions for aberrant behaviors displayed by individuals with developmental disabilities (Netzel & Eber, 2003). However, PBS strategies have been extended to include school-wide proactive intervention approaches (Sugai & Horner, 2006). The purpose of this manuscript is to describe PBS implementation as experienced by a rural southeastern school district. Outcomes and implications will be addressed.
... Clearly outlining expectations, explicitly teaching expected social behaviors, and acknowledging students for behaving appropriately has resulted in fewer office discipline referrals and fewer incidents of suspension and expulsion, for example. Researchers have illustrated the effectiveness of these practices in both building-wide implementations of PBS (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Warren, Edmonson, Griggs, Lassen, McCart, Turnbull et al., 2003) and setting-specific use of PBS practices (Franzen & Kamps, 2008;Kartub, Taylor-Greene, March, & Horner, 2000) -making these behavior support systems viable change options for schools. As the body of literature validating the use of positive behavior supports in elementary and middle school settings continues to grow, so does the knowledge base for practitioners implementing these practices. ...
... Researchers also conducted analyses of two specific behaviors -student disruption and student fighting (identified by staff as two major problem areas). As compared to the year preceding PBS implementation, a steady decrease in student disruption was observed by the end of year two, as was a statistically significant decrease in student fighting (McCurdy et al., 2003). ...
Positive behavior support (PBS) is a systems change effort that entails explicitly teaching expected social behaviors and rewarding students for behaving appropriately. Additionally, PBS systems involve developing a hierarchy of consequences that are matched to the severity of behavioral infractions. While there is growing research support for the effectiveness of PBS systems in elementary and middle school settings, there is very limited research about positive behavior support implementation at the high school level. Preliminary studies suggest that teacher and staff buy-in and attitudes toward implementation practices are critical to implementation success at the high school level. Additionally, the some theoretical models imply that attitudes toward performing a behavior, social perceptions about a behavior, and perceived behavioral control in executing a given behavior impact intent to perform the behavior. The present study discusses survey results of teaching staff in eight high schools implementing positive behavior support systems. Teacher attitudes toward various PBS practices, social perceptions about practices, and control over implementing practices are examined, as well as environmental factors inhibiting PBS implementation.
... We also found that 911 calls related to EDPs and assaults increased in the final months of the year, which may relate to students struggling with the transition into summer. This increase may also reflect staffing factors, such as reductions in teacher preparation time, increased use of substitute teachers during standardized testing periods, and perhaps the tendency for school staff to enact fewer routines and structures in the final weeks of school (McCurdy et al., 2003). ...
This study examines patterns and trends in 911 calls from Boston public school addresses related to mental health and physical assaults/fights generated from 2014 to 2018. We analyzed 12,113 Boston Police Department (BPD) 911 call records from 102 Boston Public School addresses during the 2014–2018 school years. In addition, we separately analyzed calls coded by BPD as Emotionally Disturbed Person (“EDP”), indicating a psychiatric crisis was the primary reason for the call, as well as calls coded as “Fight,” “Assault,” or “Assault and battery.” Call frequency ranged from 0 to 277 per school each year. Although the annual average number of calls increased each school year over the 4-year period, this was primarily due to an increase in hang-ups and abandoned calls. Overall, 7.4% calls were coded as EDP and 6.5% were coded as assault/fight. Call volume was highest in the middle of the school day, with a median time of 12 pm. EDP calls were significantly earlier in the day than non-EDP calls, and the percentage of calls labeled as EDP decreased in frequency each day over the course of the week. There were more overall 911 calls, on average, per day in late spring than in other seasons. The frequency with which schools call upon police as emergency service providers for psychiatric crises indicates a need for additional school-based resources. Such resources may be most effective if they are allocated mid-day, responsive to changing student needs over the course of the week, and increased in spring.
... However, minimal empirical evidence exists to evaluate this potential. Although some studies of SWPBIS have included ethnically diverse samples of students (McCurdy et al., 2003), results have been inconsistent in demonstrating relations between SWPBIS and disciplinary equity . ...
In U.S. schools, Black and Latinx youth receive disciplinary action at rates greater than their White peers. In the context of systemic racism in the United States, proposed systemic solutions such as school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) should be evaluated for their effectiveness in producing more equitable school discipline. In light of mixed evidence for a SWPBIS–equity relationship, this study examined the merits of five SWPBIS elements demonstrating promise in the literature or underexamined potential for reducing discipline rates and disparities for Black and Latinx students in a sample of 322 SWPBIS-implementing schools serving a total of 292,490 students (19% Black, 28% Latinx) in a southeastern state. Multiple linear regression results indicated that higher fidelity to SWPBIS Classroom Systems was related to lower discipline risk for all students, including Black and Latinx students, but not more equitable discipline practices. Higher fidelity to SWPBIS Expectations was related to higher suspension risk among Black students, whereas higher levels of Recognition were related to more equitable suspension practices. No significant relationships were observed between Lessons and Data Analysis and disciplinary rates or equity. Implications for the research and practice of SWPBIS are discussed in the context of promoting more equitable and socially just discipline practices.
... ODR data is also frequently used as an outcome measure in studies examining the impact of behavioral interventions in schools (e.g. Bohannon et al., 2006;Luiselli et al., 2005;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). ...
The issue of school educational outcomes measurement is of great concern to both researchers and practitioners. We can distinguish two main types of outcomes: outcomes in the domain of academic achievement (e.g., mathematics, information and communication technologies, and history) and outcomes in the behavioral domain (school discipline). Both types of outcomes are assessed and
graded in schools. However, if we were to let different teachers assess the same students’ knowledge and skills, their assessment would frequently differ and the same applies to their assessments of student behavior. The following question arises: How accurately do we measure school educational outcomes? In our study we aim to address the following issues: (a) describe the most commonly used methodological approaches to student school behavior measurement and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, we focus on school documentation analysis, interviews, observations, and questionnaire surveys. The section about school documentation analysis focuses on empirical analysis of the selected school documents of particular Czech schools; (b) propose an innovative approach to student school behavior measurement combining student self-reports and peer-reports with the anchoring vignette method to enhance data comparability.
... These may include approaches such as teacher responses to help students to de-escalate rather than escalating, and the use of previously agreed-upon "time outs" where the student can remove him/herself from the classroom to calm down. Otherwise, absences, suspensions, and expulsions will lead to decrease in academic skills, increasing the chance of future academic failure (McCurdy, Manella, & Eldridge, 2003). ...
This paper explores the classroom-level implications of complex ecologies, especially regarding the interactions among the cognitive and social/relational aspects of learning. Our focus is upon the ways teacher preparation must be re-imagined if educators are to be ready to facilitate genuinely educative and democratic learning in our country’s increasingly diverse classrooms. We explore the works of John Dewey, Gregory Bateson, James Hillman and others to consider the ways in which teacher educators must be explicitly prepared to understand pathology as a product of the interactions among the elements of the complex ecologies of classrooms and social systems, rather than as an individual quality of students who struggle in the classroom.
... A paucity of research exists examining the effective ness of schoolwide PBIS in high-need schools to help overall school climate and students' social, emotional, and behavior development (Lassen, Steele, &. Sailor, 2006;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Lassen and his col leagues (2006) conducted PBIS involving multiple schools in urban areas that were characterized by many high-risk factors such as poverty. ...
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework for preventing and treating challenging behavior in schools and improving overall school climate. The efficacy of this positive, proactive framework has been well established across varying school settings, yet little is known about schoolwide PBIS implementation and sustainability in high-need school contexts. This qualitative study investigated perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining PBIS in high-need schools from the perspective of four stakeholders. A semi-structured focus group was conducted with stakeholders from high-need schools with experience in implementing PBIS. Four key themes were identified and sub-themes across participants emerged within these four themes. Practical implications and next steps are discussed.
... They found that higher numbers of ODR were associated with more difficulties in schools' emotional and behavioral climates. It is a fair assumption to conclude that schools that pay close attention to implementing schoolwide social and behavioral initiatives can expect improvements in their school climate and decreases in major ODR (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Our descriptive analysis of the relationship between ODR and SAPR concurs with the conclusion that school climate ratings and discipline offenses share an inverse relationship. ...
... This general assessment should not be interpreted as indicating that there are no sound studies in the PBS literature. Some evaluations of school-wide interventions have utilized reasonable designs and proper longitudinal methods (e.g., McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003 ). Nevertheless , many studies of school-wide interventions have relied heavily on quasiexperimental designs (e.g., AB comparisons) and indirect and subjective measures of behavior, such as discipline referrals by teachers (see Anderson & Kincaid, 2005). ...
... Attention in schools increasingly is being given both to the prevention of emotional and behavioral challenges as well as providing prompt and effective interventions when such problems do occur (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Educators, for example, need to be able to focus on prevention while simultaneously intervening quickly and effectively for children identified with emotional and behavioral challenges. ...
The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot project that developed out of a partnership between a community-based system of care and a large urban school district. The pilot, created to serve children who are at-risk for developing more serious emotional and behavioral challenges and their families, is unique for several reasons. First, it was established to provide an often missing focus on preventative family-focused, strengths-based services. Second, this project has evolved from reliance on external grant funding to being fiscally sustained by the partner school district. Finally, it represents a collaborative venture that capitalizes on the pivotal role of schools as partners in interagency systems of care. In addition to describing the project pilot and its relationship to the Dawn Project, an established system of care in the same community, this article also presents findings from a preliminary study that examined and compared teacher and caregiver perspectives about the pilot during its first year of operation. Findings suggest that several demographic characteristics differentiate children in the pilot from children in the Dawn Project system of care and also that both caregivers and teachers generally have positive perceptions about the pilot project.
... Luiselli, Putnam, Handler og Feinberg, 2005). Rannsóknir benda einnig til þess að aðferðin geti dregið úr langvarandi hegðunarerfiðleikum nemenda og haft jákvaeð langtímaáhrif (Horner o.fl., 2010;Luiselli, Putnam og Sunderland, 2002;McCurdy, Manella og Eldridge, 2003;Taylor-Greene og Kartub, 2000). Hérlendis bendir nýleg rannsókn á áhrifum heildstaeðs stuðnings við jákvaeða hegðun með PMTO-aðferðinni til svipaðra áhrifa (Anna Björnsdóttir og Margrét Sigmarsdóttir, 2009). ...
Sagt er frá rannsókn á áhrifum einstaklingsmiðaðra stuðningsáaetlana með stighaekkandi viðmiðum um frammistöðu á truflandi hegðun grunnskólanemenda. Þátttakendur voru fjórir 7–8 ára piltar í 2. og 3. bekk sem höfðu sýnt hegðunarerfiðleika í 5–7 ár þrátt fyrir ýmis úrraeði. Virknimat var gert á hegðun nemendanna með viðtölum við kennara, nem-endur og foreldra þeirra auk beinna athugana á aðdraganda og afleiðingum truflandi hegðunar. Einstaklingsmiðaðar stuðningsáaetlanir voru útbúnar með hliðsjón af niður-stöðum virknimats undir handleiðslu sérfraeðings í atferlisgreiningu og kennarar fylgdu áaetlununum eftir undir handleiðslu sérkennara. Stuðningsáaetlanirnar fólu í sér úrraeði sem beindust að bakgrunnsáhrifavöldum, breytingar á aðdraganda, þjálfun í viðeigandi hegðun og hvatningarkerfi. Til að auka smám saman sjálfstaeði þátttakenda og draga úr umfangi íhlutunar voru notaðar fjórar til sjö útgáfur af hvatningarkerfi fyrir hvern þeirra með stighaekkandi viðmiðum um frammistöðu. Áhrif stuðningsáaetlananna á truflandi hegðun voru metin með margföldu grunnskeiðssniði milli þátttakenda. Niðurstöður sýna að verulega dró úr tíðni truflandi hegðunar hjá þremur af fjórum þátttakendum, eða um 89% að meðaltali, við íhlutun. Aðlagaðar áhrifsstaerðir íhlutunar fyrir þá þrjá reyndust stórar, eða d = 2,2 að meðaltali. Lítil áhrif komu fram hjá fjórða þátttakandanum. Hinir þrír þátttakendurnir héldu áfram að sýna viðeigandi hegðun þrátt fyrir stighaekkandi viðmið um frammistöðu og eftir að notkun hvatningarkerfis lauk. Niðurstöður eru í samraemi við fyrri rannsóknir og benda til þess að haegt sé að draga úr langvarandi hegðunarerfið-leikum nemenda og ýta undir sjálfstjórn þeirra með einstaklingsmiðuðum stuðningsáaetl-unum sem byggjast á virknimati og fela í sér stighaekkandi viðmið um frammistöðu. Þó er frekari rannsókna þörf, meðal annars til að endurtaka áhrifin með öðrum aldurshópum og meta áhrifin til lengri tíma.
... Luiselli, Putnam, Handler og Feinberg, 2005). Rannsóknir benda einnig til þess að aðferðin geti dregið úr langvarandi hegðunarerfiðleikum nemenda og haft jákvaeð langtímaáhrif (Horner o.fl., 2010;Luiselli, Putnam og Sunderland, 2002;McCurdy, Manella og Eldridge, 2003;Taylor-Greene og Kartub, 2000). Hérlendis bendir nýleg rannsókn á áhrifum heildstaeðs stuðnings við jákvaeða hegðun með PMTO-aðferðinni til svipaðra áhrifa (Anna Björnsdóttir og Margrét Sigmarsdóttir, 2009). ...
Sagt er frá rannsókn á áhrifum einstaklingsmiðaðra stuðningsáaetlana með stighaekkandi viðmiðum um frammistöðu á truflandi hegðun grunnskólanemenda. Þátttakendur voru fjórir 7–8 ára piltar í 2. og 3. bekk sem höfðu sýnt hegðunarerfiðleika í 5–7 ár þrátt fyrir ýmis úrraeði. Virknimat var gert á hegðun nemendanna með viðtölum við kennara, nem-endur og foreldra þeirra auk beinna athugana á aðdraganda og afleiðingum truflandi hegðunar. Einstaklingsmiðaðar stuðningsáaetlanir voru útbúnar með hliðsjón af niður-stöðum virknimats undir handleiðslu sérfraeðings í atferlisgreiningu og kennarar fylgdu áaetlununum eftir undir handleiðslu sérkennara. Stuðningsáaetlanirnar fólu í sér úrraeði sem beindust að bakgrunnsáhrifavöldum, breytingar á aðdraganda, þjálfun í viðeigandi hegðun og hvatningarkerfi. Til að auka smám saman sjálfstaeði þátttakenda og draga úr umfangi íhlutunar voru notaðar fjórar til sjö útgáfur af hvatningarkerfi fyrir hvern þeirra með stighaekkandi viðmiðum um frammistöðu. Áhrif stuðningsáaetlananna á truflandi hegðun voru metin með margföldu grunnskeiðssniði milli þátttakenda. Niðurstöður sýna að verulega dró úr tíðni truflandi hegðunar hjá þremur af fjórum þátttakendum, eða um 89% að meðaltali, við íhlutun. Aðlagaðar áhrifsstaerðir íhlutunar fyrir þá þrjá reyndust stórar, eða d = 2,2 að meðaltali. Lítil áhrif komu fram hjá fjórða þátttakandanum. Hinir þrír þátttakendurnir héldu áfram að sýna viðeigandi hegðun þrátt fyrir stighaekkandi viðmið um frammistöðu og eftir að notkun hvatningarkerfis lauk. Niðurstöður eru í samraemi við fyrri rannsóknir og benda til þess að haegt sé að draga úr langvarandi hegðunarerfið-leikum nemenda og ýta undir sjálfstjórn þeirra með einstaklingsmiðuðum stuðningsáaetl-unum sem byggjast á virknimati og fela í sér stighaekkandi viðmið um frammistöðu. Þó er frekari rannsókna þörf, meðal annars til að endurtaka áhrifin með öðrum aldurshópum og meta áhrifin til lengri tíma.
... School-wide PBIS is an evidence-based prevention model used to reduce challenging behavior and promote safe and healthy learning environments in schools (Sugai & Horner, 2002;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Results of an analysis of the barriers and facilitators to the successful implementation of school-wide PBIS indicate that staff buy-in is one of the primary barriers for schoollevel implementation (Kincaid, Childs, Blase, & Wallace, 2007). ...
The two purposes of the pre-post naturalistic research design were to: 1) Investigate the impact of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) on the behavioral functioning of students with emotional disturbance (ED) (N = 37) served in self-contained settings; and 2) examine the extent to which teacher fidelity of PBIS implementation influenced student changes in behavioral functioning over the course of a school year. Results revealed significant reductions in externalizing and total problem behaviors for the students. Additionally, teacher fidelity to PBIS played a large and statistically significant role in improving the behavior of students with emotional disturbance. Limitations of the design and implications of the findings are discussed.
... This study also included school discipline referrals related to behavioral problems to measure student school performance. According to Rusby, Taylor, and Foster (2007), it is important to consider school discipline referrals when measuring student school performance, and the association between student discipline records and their school achievements and teacher rating has been well documented (Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Rusby et al., 2007). ...
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the Home Improvement for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program on school performance during the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th grades. The study employed a quasi-experimental, post-hoc design using existing data on children who participated in the HIPPY program as 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds, including: Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores, attendance records, school retention, and discipline referrals. Independent samples t-tests and chi-square analysis revealed that in all four grades HIPPY children had significantly higher rates of school attendance, were retained less often, had fewer repeat discipline referrals, scored higher, and had higher pass rates on the Reading and Math TAKS than matching children without HIPPY experience. Results indicate that children who participated in the HIPPY program as a 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old appear to have benefited long-term from the experience. The results also suggest that the HIPPY program intervention can increase school achievement and build a strong base for school success.
... Although the district and school had placed a much greater emphasis on research-based pedagogy and teachers were embracing research like no other time in education, the trenches and ivory tower stereotypes still lived. It may be especially true in urban education where the challenges to teachers are the greatest (Bohanon et al., 2006;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003). Race and class loom large in this context, yet national education reformers and critics continually deny or ignore these as legitimate factors that impact student achievement, proclaiming that excellent teachers can overcome all obstacles to learning. ...
A Sage expression, you make the road by walking, captures the nature of accompaniment in partnership development. The purpose of this action research project was to examine the partnership of a city school and an urban university as one that engaged mutual generation of knowledge from all participants. Action research, where participants are coequals in decision making, enhances the co-construction of knowledge and applied practice when stakeholders work to achieve more practical goals. Two high school co-instructors and a university faculty member examined what initially brought them together—a classroom instructional need. While designing and implementing an investigation of the use of class instructional time, they simultaneously conducted a self-study action research project about the dynamics of their partnership and how to improve it. Critical interviews revealed challenges to integrating research findings into practice as well as convergent benefits of partnership development that may be relevant to partnerships of all kinds.
... These may include approaches such as teacher responses to help students to de-escalate rather than escalating, and the use of previously agreed-upon "time outs" where the student can remove him/herself from the classroom to calm down. Otherwise, absences, suspensions, and expulsions will lead to decrease in academic skills, increasing the chance of future academic failure (McCurdy, Manella, & Eldridge, 2003). ...
In this article we discuss the idea that in a genuinely pluralistic and egalitarian society that values the growth and development of the individual as an essential part of the educational process teachers must prepared to come into relationship with students who may represent the philosophical Other. of deviance and pathology can infuse diverse classrooms when rigidly standardized curricula are implemented teachers who are trained only as technicians and who may view the students and their families and communities as the locus of if students are una to achieve. Preparing teachers for these complex interactions requires that teacher educators attend to qualities that go far usual constructions of content/pedagogical competence and professionalism. We explore these issues through the lens of complexity to the conversation the scholarship of a range of theorists and disciplines including great historic figures such as John Dewey Gregory Bateson and Martin Bu as well as contemporary theorists including James Hillman.
... Other studies have shown that implementation of SWPBS reduces student assaults, disciplinary actions, and suspensions (Bradshaw, Mitchell, & Leaf, 2010;Lassen, Steele, & Sailor, 2006;Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005;McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003;Nelson, Martella, & Marchand-Martella, 2002;Taylor-Greene, et al., 1997), and increases academic performance Lassen, et al., 2006;Luiselli, et al., 2005;Nelson, et al., 2002). Studies have also demonstrated improvement in social adjustment of students exhibiting problem behaviours in schools implementing SWPBS (Nelson, et al., 2002). ...
... Within the past decade, an increasing focus has been placed on PBS and as a result, SWPBS programs have continually emerged among schools across the nation (Walker et al., 2005). A growing body of evidence supports that PBS is associated with improvements in students' behavior as measured by office discipline referral, suspensions, and expulsions data (e.g., McCurdy, Manella, & Eldridge, 2003;Nelson, Martella, & Galand, 1998;Scott & Barrett, 2004;Todd, Haugen, Anderson, & Spriggs, 2002), school climate (Netzel & Eber, 2003), academic performance (Ervin et al., 2006), and instructional time (Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005). However, although PBS programs are designed to provide positive consequences contingent on rule compliance, few studies have investigated this program component and the potential use for program decision-making (e.g., Lane et al., 2007Lane et al., , 2008 averages found in this study may be related to a number of factors. ...
... Many of these schools have found a decrease in the number of discipline referrals one to two years after SWPBS implementation (Eber, Lewis-Palmer, & Pacchiano, 2001). Looking at the schools that are using SWPBS, there have also been decreases in fighting and disruption in the schoolyard and classroom (McCurdy, Mannella, & Eldridge, 2003) and also in referrals for harassment (Metzler, Biglan, & Rusby, 2001). Eber et al. (2001) also noted a decrease in the number of out of school suspensions. ...
The purpose of this investigation is to describe the outcomes of a multi-state study of written discipline policies in a high school setting. This study examines discipline codes of conduct and analyzes the content for behaviors ranging in severity (mild, moderate, and severe) while specifically examining the use of suspension as a punitive measure. Publicly available written discipline policies (n=120) were drawn from state board of education web-sites in six states (Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Texas, New York, Oregon). The Analysis of Discipline Codes Rating System (ADCR-R) was used as a tool to analyze the behaviors. The frequency of school responses listing the consequence of suspension will be compared to behaviors ranging in severity (mild, moderate, severe), in each code of conduct. In addition, comparisons of policy content will be made by state and setting type (urban versus rural) as it relates to using suspension as a punitive measure.
This paper intended to study the outcomes of positive discipline on student’s behaviors. This research was administered by using quantitative and qualitative methods. As a research participants they are 310 from students who were been selected by a stratified and simple random sampling and, 3 teacher key informants, who were selected by purposive sampling from Lower, Middle and Higher Secondary Schools respectively. Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated to determine the reliability of the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings of the study revealed that the positive discipline practices perceived to be a substantial tool to build students’ behaviors. The study is significant in providing information to students, teachers, educational leaders and parents to boost positive discipline practices at school and home. This research also provides indispensable information for all school stakeholders about their roles and supports in improving the behaviors of school children.
In this phenomenographical study, fifteen students with disabilities from one middle-grades setting were recruited to explore the qualitative different ways they experience and conceive of exclusionary discipline (i.e., in-school suspension (ISS), out-school suspension (OSS), and detention) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS). The participants engaged in interviews and produced two (2) visual representations to investigate the following research questions: (1) How do students with disabilities experience and conceive of school discipline?; (2) How do students with disabilities experience and conceive the implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS); and (3) In what ways can voices of students with disabilities help transform school discipline and PBIS implementation to meet their desired learning environments? An outcome space with seven categories of descriptions emerged. Findings suggest that students collectively held negative perceptions of exclusionary practices, and their responses revealed low efficacy of punitive discipline. In theory, cycles of frustration-aggression appeared to be associated with student experiences of exclusionary discipline and punitive threats (i.e., “you have silent lunch!”), which seems to result in student apathy and undesirable teacher-student relationships. Negative teacher behaviors were also observed such as yelling and belittling comments, including low fidelity of PBIS implementation. Lastly, many student participants expressed that they desired calm learning environments that offer freedom, play, and opportunities to engage in dialogue for reconciliation. Recommendations for future research, including student suggestions for school improvement, and implications to educational practice are provided.
School-wide positive behavioral support (SWPBS) programs are becoming an increasingly popular and effective way to reduce behavioral disruptions in schools. Results from a 4-year study examining the effects of an SWPBS program in a public elementary school indicated significant reductions in percentages of behavioral referrals, suspensions, and instructional days lost, but the effect sizes were small. Implications for school counselors and future research are discussed.
Although evidence suggests significant and positive relationships between School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) implementation and student outcomes, research is still needed to review and consolidate this existing literature base. The current study synthesized findings from 55 cases in order to better understand the (a) general quantity, quality, and types of SWPBIS research being conducted, and (b) overall magnitude of these relationships across studies. The majority of cases were single descriptive studies, included PBIS implementation data, and studied diverse elementary or multigrade populations within the United States. Of the cases that performed statistical analyses, the majority reported unanimously positive or predominately positive findings, and these findings were notably more positive for behavioral outcomes than for academic outcomes. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a widely implemented, culturally responsive framework using prevention and intervention activities to promote a safe school climate and positive academic and behavioral student outcomes. Using a qualitative single-case study design, authors provide a rich description of PBIS implementation in an exemplary urban middle school based on school documents and the voices of several school leaders; authors also examine the corresponding role of the school counselor. Results included positive school outcomes and the emergence of five themes: the importance of administrative leadership, proactive PBIS practices, creating consistency, building community, and school counselor integration.
The design and delivery of effective interventions to address challenging behavior in young children is a critical concern for practitioners, families, and researchers. Challenging behavior in the early years of development, defined as “any repeated pattern of behavior or perception of behavior that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in pro-social interactions with peers and adults” (Systems of service delivery: A synthesis of evidence relevant to young children at risk of or who have challenging behavior, University of South Florida, Tampa, 2003), can have pervasive deleterious effects on the child’s social emotional functioning, learning, and longitudinal outcomes over time (Behav Disord, 32:29–45, 2006; Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2009). In this chapter, we describe a framework of promotion, prevention, and intervention practices with a focus on effective practices for children who have persistent challenging behavior. We begin the chapter by describing the developmental trajectory of challenging behavior and the importance of a prevention framework for the implementation of evidence-based practices that promote social emotional competence and prevent or reduce challenging behaviors. We then describe the design and implementation of individualized behavior interventions and the importance of partnerships with families. The final section of this chapter describes how professionals can support practitioners and programs in the implementation of effective interventions through coaching and consultation.
Consultation Across Cultural Contexts addresses the challenges that school psychologists face when working in unfamiliar settings and diverse cultural contexts. Establishing first the necessity of understanding and respecting these contexts, this book provides both theoretical background knowledge and a wealth of technical and practical information, animated by first-hand accounts. Divided into sections that touch upon topics such as difficult teachers and the role of poverty, race, and class, the selections include examples from diverse school ecologies, schools in various states of transition, resource challenged schools, and more.
In the past 50 years there has been a growing interest in promoting, sustaining, and restoring the well-being of young people by nurturing their positive attributes and assets. This strength-based approach is predicated on the belief that “everybody has knowledge, talents, capacities, skills, and resources that can be used as building blocks toward their aspirations, the solution of their problems, the meeting of their needs, and the boosting of the quality of their lives” (Saleebey, 2008). A strength-based orientation suggests that, even in the face of adversity, individuals can overcome the odds and achieve better-than-expected outcomes (Masten, 2001). Studies of children that have beaten the odds suggest that these children share a common characteristic—many of which can be nurtured in their natural environments (Werner & Smith, 1992). The Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) has transformed the findings from this body of research into resources that parents and professionals can use to promote these characteristics in children and youth. This chapter first describes some of the fields of research and practice that have guided the incorporation of a strength-based approach to children’s mental health into the DCRC resources. Next, this chapter focuses on the specific resources within the DCRC collection that were designed to help practitioners collect relevant, empirical information about a child’s strengths, and concludes by providing examples of how these assessment tools can be used to plan and monitor interventions that promote resilience in children.
Although there is much research on School-Wide Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in the United States, there is little such research in Canada. The purpose of the current study was to provide a case study example of the relation between implementing PBIS and student academic and behavioural outcomes, as well as student perceptions of the school environment. Data were collected in one school as it moved from partial to full implementation of PBIS. The results of the study indicated positive academic and behavioural outcomes for students, as well as increased perceptions of safety, understanding of school expectations, and decreased perceptions of bullying. The results of this study are discussed with implications regarding PBIS in Canada and the importance of fidelity of implementation of school-based interventions.
Positive behavior support (PBS) is the application of positive behavioral interventions and systems to achieve socially important outcomes valued by relevant stakeholders. Over the past decade, PBS has evolved from an approach solely focused on the individual behavioral needs of students with disabilities, to an approach also focused on schoolwide systems and the behavioral needs of all students. The purpose of this chapter is threefold. First, we provide an overview of the evolution of PBS including the (a) theoretical, scientific, philosophical, and legal foundations; (b) unique features of PBS; and (c) evolution of PBS from an approach applied to individual students to a systems-level approach. Second, we provide an overview of schoolwide PBS, including the (a) tiers of support in SWPBS, (b) critical features of SWPBS, and (c) implementation of schoolwide PBS (SWPBS). Finally, we provide a synthesis of the empirical support for PBS across public school, alternative school, and juvenile justice settings.
We assessed the reporting of treatment integrity in school-wide prevention programs in K-12 schools. This review was designed to determine (a) the extent to which treatment integrity was reported in school-wide prevention and intervention programs and how the reporting varied by research design, year, and journal; and (b) the procedures (e.g., method, frequency, informant) used to collect treatment integrity data. Results indicated that fewer than half of the studies in the review (n = 36, 45.6 %) measured and reported treatment integrity. Those studies reporting treatment integrity often used multiple methods and informants. Reporting treatment integrity in this body of literature has increased steadily over time.
This study validated a Perceived Campus Caring Scale with 1,520 university students. Using factor analysis, seven factors namely, Faculty Support, Nonfaculty Support, Peer Relationship, Sense of Detachment, Sense of Belonging, Caring Attitude, and Campus Involvement, are identified with high reliability, validity, and close correlation with the Satisfaction With Life Scale.
Germany, like most other Western countries, faces the challenge of integrating a majority of children and youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) into the regular school system. But in contrast to North America, to date Germany does not possess an evidence-based school-wide model like PBIS that could help to actually achieve the Europe-wide or global political imperative of effectively including students with EBD. Learning why it is so difficult to implement PBIS in Germany‘s schools requires grappling with education studies in the country as well as with the historical development and present social relatedness of competing theoretical paradigms. From this starting point, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the special professional identity of Germany‘s teachers and other school staff. It is against this background that the author took initial steps to implement PBIS in German schools. Sharing lessons learned from in-service training workshops, and using individual PBIS elements and interventions will help answer the questions of which areas of PBIS pose the greatest challenges for German teaching staffs and what familiar elements there are in PBIS for school personnel to rediscover and build on relatively easily. This chapter concludes with the observation that for teacher training designed to anchor PBIS in German schools to be successful, it must take into account the prevailing academic backgrounds and national characteristics that contribute to forming the professional identity of Germany’s teachers. Free download through open access:
https://novapublishers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/978-1-63463-869-2_ch6.pdf
School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) is increasingly becoming a popular approach to managing challenging behaviour in schools. However, several issues still have to be addressed facilitate successful implementation of this approach in schools. One of these issues pertains to the appropriateness of the different measures used to determine the efficacy of the approach. Because many schools are using indirect measures to assess the effects of SWPBS implementation, determining which measures more accurately reflect the effectiveness of the SWPBS components may increase the effectiveness of school measurement systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the measures used in evaluating the efficacy of positive behaviour support. The paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of outcome measures regarding problem behaviour, prosocial behaviour, and implementation fidelity.
Positive Behavior for Learning (PBL) is a school-wide systemic approach to promoting both positive behaviors and student learning. A total of 827 boys and 888 girls from 4 Australian primary and 8 secondary schools implementing PBL (experimental) were compared with 188 boys and 226 girls from 2 primary and 4 secondary schools (control) (Total N = 2129). A multiple-indicator-multiple-indicator-cause (MIMIC) approach to structural equation modeling found that the experimental group scored significantly higher in (a) behavioral management input, (b) positive behaviors, (c) knowledge about behaviors, (d) effort goal orientation, and (e) value of schooling. Gender effects were small, favoring girls. Evidence shows that PBL may benefit all students in both behavior and motivation variables, but more work may be needed for boys.
Criteria for evaluating behavior support programs are changing. Consumer-based educational and behavioral programs, such as School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS), are particularly influenced by consumer opinion. Unfortunately, the need for and use of social validity measures have not received adequate attention in the empirical literature related to these increasingly utilized behavioral programs. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the importance of social validity and to present an in-depth discussion of its history, merits, and practical applications relevant to the expanded scope of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support, specifically, SWPBS. In addition, the importance of social validity in bridging the gap between research and practice is discussed; current limitations are noted; and suggestions are made for future direction regarding this critical area of assessment.
A review of the literature related to culture and student behavior reveals a number of interesting observations that are not surprising. First, culture is a difficult construct to define and has been defined variably over the years. Second, schools are becoming increasingly diverse, and evidence-based behavior management practices have been implemented with varied levels of integrity and varied outcomes. Third, students who spend more time outside the classroom because of disciplinary consequences are at increased risk for negative outcomes, such as diminished academic identity, deficient academic skills, and higher attrition. The school-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) framework has been implemented in numerous settings with student populations representing a variety of cultures. A literature review and concept article were developed concurrently and were found to inform each other. In this study, a review of existing literature on culturally and contextually relevant strategies for behavior management in schools was conducted. Based on this review, general recommendations are presented for practitioners, personnel preparers, policy makers, and researchers, especially, in the context of implementing SWPBS.
Disparities in behavioral outcomes for minority students are a decades-old problem. Recently, the systems-level approach of school-wide positive behavior support (SW-PBS) and its growing research base have garnered attention as a possible remedy. Although SW-PBS has been shown to be effective in reducing a school's overall level of office discipline referrals (ODRs) and suspensions (OSS), and its success has been replicated in schools with large populations of minority students, effective outcomes across all groups of students within a school are not guaranteed. Some reports document increases in the magnitude of disproportionality even when ODRs and OSS decrease for the school as a whole. However, studies of SW-PBS and disproportionality have overlooked the role of implementation fidelity as a potential mediator of student outcomes, allowing for the possibility that schools that fail to experience a reduction in ODRs and OSS across all groups of students are those in which few elements of SW-PBS have been implemented. The present study contributed to the current research base by investigating whether schools which implement SW-PBS with higher levels of fidelity were more likely to have lower levels of disproportionate ODRs and OSS for African American and Hispanic students. Drawing from online databases which record schools' implementation and ODR information, this study provided detailed school-level descriptive analyses of ODRs and OSS for African American, Hispanic, and White students. Additionally, risk ratios for receiving an ODR and for receiving an OSS were calculated for African American and Hispanic students, and then compared to each school's reported level of SW-PBS implementation as measured by their Benchmarks of Quality score. The descriptive analyses and follow-up Chi-Square analyses revealed that there was no significant relationship between a school's level of implementation fidelity and their magnitude of disproportionality for these groups of students. Implications for professional development, record keeping, and measuring disproportionality in schools are discussed.
There is no question that all students, especially those with serious emotional disturbance, benefit from a predictable, consistent, well-organized, and safe school environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an effective approach that has had positive results in achieving such a school environment. Specifically, the paper describes how to achieve effective ecological arrangements and common area routines across the school environment. In addition, we present a case study with preliminary results.