Behavioral System Gaps in Disproportionate Schools

• In Event: Behavioral Outcomes and Discipline in School

Abstract

Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS) is a process designed to identify and address the needs of students through structured behavioral support system. This research surveyed the PBIS documents of public K-8 and High Schools within a large urban school system to determine the systems in place for schools that demonstrated varying levels of disproportionate outcomes among students across racial, ethnic, class, and gender cohorts. A detailed document analysis revealed that referral forms and intervention practices varied dramatically from school to school, resulting in incoherent plans for documentation, behavioral intervention strategies, and data-driven decision making in student assessment and interventions. These incomplete and unaligned PBIS strategies will only serve to exacerbate disproportionate academic outcomes.

Authors

• Cecil Terrell Barnes, Temple University

• Sidra Sheikh, Temple University

• Tonya A Leslie, Temple University

• Edward Fergus, Temple University