Factors Predicting Sustained Implementation of School-Based Behavior Support Interventions

• In Event: Training School Professionals in the Field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Abstract

Too often in schools, today’s effective school-based intervention becomes tomorrow’s dusty three-ring binder in the supply closet. Countless numbers of effective practices have been implemented successfully, only to be abandoned over time (Gersten, Chard, & Baker, 2000; Latham, 1988). The challenge in education today is not simply to implement effective practices, but to implement them so that they sustain and continue to enhance student outcomes. However, there is surprisingly little research on sustainability (McIntosh, Horner, & Sugai, 2009). This presentation will report results from an empirical study examining factors related to sustainability of a school-based behavior support intervention, School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS; Sugai & Horner, 2009).

Participants
Participants were teachers at 268 schools that completed a self-report fidelity of implementation measure during the 2006-07 school year and were administered an external evaluation of fidelity of implementation during the 2009-10 school year.
Measures
The PBS Self-Assessment Survey (Sugai, Horner, & Todd, 2000) is a research-validated survey measuring perceptions of features in place and priority for implementation of SWPBS.
The Schoolwide Benchmarks of Quality (Kincaid, Childs, & George, 2005) is a research-validated external measure of SWPBS fidelity of implementation.

Analysis
Multiple regression was used to identify to what extent self-reported implementation of SWPBS systems (i.e., school-wide, non-classroom, classroom, and individual student systems) in 2006-07 predicted fidelity of SWPBS implementation in 2009-10.

Results
Results showed that although prior implementation in all systems was a significant predictor of sustained implementation, implementation of classroom systems was the strongest predictor. In addition, a number of strategies used in the classroom were strong individual predictors.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes
The primary objective of the presentation is to inform participants regarding how school-based interventions can be sustained. Participants will learn what environmental features are conducive to sustainability. In addition, they will be able to identify alterable variables that affect sustainability and take steps to enhance the sustainability of school-based behavior support interventions.

References

Gersten, R., Chard, D. J., & Baker, S. (2000). Factors enhancing sustained use of research-based instructional practices. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 445-457.

Kincaid, D., Childs, K., & George, H. (2005). School-wide benchmarks of quality. Unpublished instrument, University of South Florida.

Latham, G. (1988). The birth and death cycles of educational innovations. Principal, 68, 41-43.

McIntosh, K., Horner, R. H., & Sugai, G. (2009). Sustainability of systems-level evidence-based practices in schools: Current knowledge and future directions. In W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, G. Sugai & R. H. Horner (Eds.), Handbook of positive behavior support (pp. 327-352). New York: Springer.

Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2009). Defining and describing schoolwide positive behavior support. In W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, G. Sugai & R. H. Horner (Eds.), Handbook of positive behavior support (pp. 307-326). New York: Springer.

Sugai, G., Horner, R. H., & Todd, A. W. (2000). Effective Behavior Support Self-Assessment Survey 2.0. Eugene, OR: Educational and Community Supports. Available at http://www.pbis.org.

Authors

• Kent McIntosh, The University of British Columbia

• Susanna Mathews, The University of British Columbia