HIGH SCHOOL PBIS; USING
WHAT WE KNOW TO INFORM
WHERE WE GO
Jessica Swain-Bradway, Ph.D., University of
Oregon
jswainbr@uoregon.edu
AGENDA
Excitement!
 Adolescent brain development
 Big messages from PBIS at the High School Level

NEUROSCIENCE
Can provide the technology for understanding
brain functioning and development during
adolescence
Timerlake, Schaal, Steinmetz, 2005
DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME
EMOTIONAL RESPONDING
EMOTIONAL RECOGNITION
Monk et al (2003)
REWARDS CENTER
REWARDS CENTER
Early adolescent show fewer reward signals in the
brain to stimuli. The intensity of rewards must be
higher for early adolescents to feel rewarded
(Sprague, 2008).
WHITE MATTER
ADOLESCENT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Physiological and functional differences on
cognition
Amygdala
 Emotional recognition
 Rewards center
 White matter

NEUROPLASTICITY
“… neuroanatomical evidence suggests that
learning and positive experiences help build
complex, adaptive brains”.
The Adolescent Brain: A Work in Progress, Daniel R.Weinberger,
M.D., Brita Elvevåg, Ph.D, Jay N. Giedd, M.D., June 2005
NEUROPLASTICITY

Environmental supports:
Explicitness in instruction
 Explicitness in acknowledgements


Exaggerated supports around decision-making,
responsibility
CONSIDER BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
AND PBIS AT HIGH SCHOOL
BIG MESSAGES FROM PBIS AT HS
Systems First
 Feedback Loop
 Academic and Social Connection
 Stakeholder Input

SYSTEMS: PBIS FLUENCY
1.
Administrative team fluency in PBIS
Understand systems perspective
 Outcomes, Data, Systems, Practices


Understand critical features for implementation
and sustainability
SYSTEMS: PBIS FLUENCY
2.
Implementation team fluency
Understand systems perspective
 Outcomes, Data, Systems, Practices


3.
Roles within each component
Staff-wide training prior to roll out of practices
SYSTEMS

Communication System

Feedback loop
Staff
 Students
 Families
 Community


Contextual Considerations…
ACADEMIC & SOCIAL CONNECTION

Explicitness of connection



Implementation of evidence based practices
focuses on:


Social behaviors impact academic behaviors
Academic behaviors impact social behaviors
Social behaviors that provide access to academic
success
Explicit language, skill building, supports around
access

CICO, Academic Supports, Acknowledgements, Social
Expectations, Discipline system, etc.
COMMUNITY, FAMILY FEEDBACK

Top down big picture


Administrative and PBIS teams fluent in PBIS
Bottom up contextual considerations

Feedback loop
New York City
 Can Falls

NEUROSCIENCE AND PBIS
Neuroscience provides direction
 Systems Framework of PBIS provides
mechanism

RESOURCES
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
 Society for Neuroscience
 NIHM: Teenage Brain


www.PBIS.org
Thank you for your time and attention!
jswainbr@uoregon.edu