Expanding the Effectiveness of
School-Wide PBIS Implementation
2010 National PBIS Leadership Forum
October 14-15, 2010
Chicago, Illinois
Hill M. Walker, Ph.D.
Institute on Violence and Destructive
Behavior, University of Oregon
Theme of Keynote: PBIS as an
Exemplar of Evidence-Based Practice
in Schools: Past, Present, Future
• Creates a Positive School Culture
• Engages All School Staff in Meeting Student
Needs
• Increases the Holding Power of the School
Bridging the Gap Between
Research and Practice
• Time lag between the availability of an EBP and its
adoption and effective use on a broad scale within routine
contexts can be vast.
-Cure for scurvy (Rogers, 1995).
-Time lag in mental health is estimated to be 20 years.
-Time lag is at least this long in K-12 education.
• Typical barriers to adoption
-Cost
-Difficulty accessing
-Philosophical objections
-Resistance to change
-Innovation takes too much time and effort
Factors Driving Interest in EBPs
• National Legislation
– No Child Left Behind
– Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(2004 Reauthorization)
• Court Mandates
• Threats to School Security
Factors (Continued)
• Public Demand for Return on Investments in
Federal Research
• Growing Interest in Prevention
– Especially as an Alternative to Specialized
Accommodation and Special Education
• Development of Quality Standards by
Professional Organizations
Where are Schools Re:
New Evidence-Based Practices?
•
Until the past decade, schools have been
slow to adopt proven or promising EBPs.
Impact
1. The vast majority of K-12 students have not
accessed effective interventions.
2. Emerging pressures on educators to adopt and
implement best and preferred practices that
have a solid evidence base.
Development of Innovations in Better Serving
At-Risk Students has Ramped Up Substantially
in the Past Decade
1. 3-tiered public health prevention model applied
to school contexts
2. Advent of use of Response to Intervention
approaches for screening, identification and
treatment
3. Strong interest by psychologists in conducting
school-based research on conduct disorders
4. Priority of adapting promising programs for
routine usage in school practices
Aldous Huxley
“The Single Greatest Tragedy of Science is
the Cold-Blooded Slaying of a Beautiful
Theory by an Ugly Fact.”
– Randomized Control Trials are often the
Cruel Means by Which this Tragedy Occurs.
What are the Origins of PBIS?
• Grows Out of the Knowledge Base and
Behavioral Technology of Applied
Behavior Analysis
• Applies the USPHS Model of Prevention
to Schools (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary)
• Adopts Policy Logic from Mental Health
and Juvenile Justice
T o ta l O ffic e D is c ip lin e R e fe rr
Kennedy Middle School
1500
1200
900
600
300
0
95-96
96-97
97-98
School Years
98-99
Outstanding Features of PBIS
•3-Tiered heuristic provides a conceptual
framework and a scaffold for a whole-school
approach to behavior management
•Uses archival school records and disciplinary
referrals that allow estimation of a school’s
status and efficiency
•Applies the concept of continuous positive
support to student behavior
•Addresses all school settings
What are the Factors that
Make It Work?
• Consistent with the Priorities, Routines,
Values and Operations of the School Context
• Is an Example of a Good PracticeEnvironment Fit
• PBIS Considers the School as a Dynamic
System within a District and Community
Context.
Factors (continued)
• PBIS Integrates-Coordinates Key Components
that are Evidence-Based and Acceptable to
Educators
• Strong focus on Implementation Fidelity that
is Measured Regularly and Prompts Actions
• Allows Flexible Adaptation and Fine Tuning of
PBIS Components
School Context
• Factors that Influence Educator Adoption of
New Practices:
– Fits seamlessly into ongoing school routines
– Consistent with school and educator values
– Universal versus targeted interventions
– Solves a high priority problem or issue
– Time and effort costs are reasonable
– Teacher perceives s/he has the skills and
resources to apply practice effectively
Efficacy Vs. Effectiveness
(Schoenwald & Hoagwood, 2001)
• Efficacy – Intervention, practice or approach has been
demonstrated to work under ideal conditions by their
developers (e.g., under highly controlled, grant-funded
conditions, with close supervision and monitoring of
implementation fidelity).
• Effectiveness – Refers to demonstration of socially valid
outcomes under normal conditions of usage in the target
setting for which the intervention was developed.
– Demonstrating effectiveness is far more difficult.
– Many promising practices or programs fail to bridge the
gap between efficacy and effectiveness.
R. Detrich (2008)
Why Has PBIS Been So Widely
Accepted?
• Allows Schools to Respond to the Needs of
All Students
• Promotes the Concept of Continuing, Positive
Behavioral Support
• Carefully Defines Roles of Each PBIS
Participant
Reasons (continued)
• PBIS Provides Well-Developed Training
Materials
• Uses Checklists-Guidelines to Support UserFriendly Implementation
– Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto
• Allows Cost-Efficient Use of School Resources
Does PBIS Have a Role to Play in the
Current Press for School Reform?
• PBIS Represents a Model of the Effective,
Accountable School that is the Focus of School
Improvement Efforts.
• PBIS Use of Discipline Referrals, the SET, and
Regular Student Progress Monitoring are Essential
for Improving Schools.
• To Solidify its Role, PBIS Needs to be a Part of ESEA
and IDEA Reauthorizations.
What are the Challenges Facing
PBIS in the Next Decade?
• Develop a Participant and Advocacy Role for
PBIS Involving Families
• Continue Focus on Innovation that Preserves the
Dynamic Nature of PBIS
• Re-Commit to High Quality PBIS Implementation
and Its Assessment
Challenges (continued)
• Continue Extending the Reach of PBIS to
Diverse Populations, Contexts and Problems
• Document the Cultural Responsiveness and
Relevance of PBIS
• Show that Sustained PBIS Improves Student
Achievement as well as School Behavior