PROBLEMS IN TRAINING SCHOOL PERSONNEL IN THE EFFECTIVE USE OF SCHOOL WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT (PBIS) MODELS

A recent study in a southeastern American public school district yielded interesting findings concerning the training and implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) models with school personnel. Despite the high interest and efficacy expressed by teachers, administrators, and parents in the investigated schools, a set of barrier variables were determined to be common across different grade levels, community types, administrative models, and teacher longevity stages that appear to pose universal challenges when implementing PBIS models within educational settings. Variables related to school building culture, community/parent support, teacher-administrator relationships, and parenting/child-rearing philosophies were commonly identified across schools as being primary predictors of PBIS model success. From the data obtained in this study, several key strategies were determined for quality training of teachers, parents, and administrators in order to strengthen the likelihood of school wide model success. A discussion of such strategies -- along with their rationale -- will be presented in this forum.