Briefs for Policymakers

Districts may be forced to take action on disparate discipline outcomes through various mechanisms (e.g., IDEA’s significant disproportionality regulations, Title VI complaint, lawsuit). Regardless of the reason, there may be interest in seeking outside support to reduce discipline disparities. The Center on PBIS provides a range of free resources for identifying, addressing, and preventing discipline disparities on its website (www.pbis.org), but it does not contract to provide corrective services. If a district requires more support than Center products and their own expertise, the Center provides recommendations in this brief.

One-page brief describing the effectiveness and reach of the PBIS framework..

One-page brief describing the effectiveness and reach when schools integrate school mental health within a PBIS framework.

One-page brief describing the effectiveness and reach of the PBIS framework at increasing student engagement and academic achievement.

One-page brief describing the effectiveness and reach of the PBIS framework, particularly with students with disabilities.

Recommendations for spending American Rescue Plan Act education funds.

This 2017 U.S. Supreme Court case clarified what is meant by a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA, 2004) while highlighting the role of supporting a student’s behavior to enable the student to make progress. Endrew F. is an important and relevant case for the PBIS community in terms of encouraging stakeholder involvement and engaging in effective data-based decision making. This brief highlights some implications of Endrew F. for IEP teams, including the importance of the input of parents in designing appropriate educational support plans for students with disabilities.

This Practice Brief was developed as result of the roundtable dialogue that occurred at the 2019 PBIS Leadership Forum in Chicago, IL.

This Practice Brief was developed as result of the roundtable dialogue that occurred at the 2019 PBIS Leadership Forum in Chicago, IL.

This Practice Brief was developed as result of the roundtable dialogue that occurred at the 2019 PBIS Leadership Forum in Chicago, IL and provides an overview of the process of designing and implementing Tier 2 systems and practices within a Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) framework. Approaching Tier 2 design from the district-level is encouraged; however, considerations and suggestions for schools implementing Tier 2 independent of a district-level initiative are included.

This practice brief defines restraint and seclusion, addresses prevalance, describes prevention approaches, and reviews policy implications.

New to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, is specific language supporting state and local educational agencies in implementing schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SW-PBIS). This evaluation brief offers guidance to states on how to align PBIS efforts with the student success indicator in Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants.

With the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), State education agencies (SEA) have a great opportunity to revisit and update their state-wide school improvement plans. A particularly important emphasis of ESSA is school climate and safety, which are so integrally linked to academic achievement, active student and teacher engagement, and tiered systems of support for all students, but especially students with high failure risk (e.g., students with disabilities English language learners, students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds and environments).

When a behavior interferes with academic or social progress, practitioners should consider an FBA as a viable option. An FBA should not be reserved for solely students who receive special education services or have a particular disability. District-level capacity to perform technically adequate FBAs related to valuable behavior support plans, should continue to increase as the technology of the FBA becomes more accessible.

This article discusses school administrators’ continued legal support for their use of functional behavioral assessment and positive behavioral interventions and strategies for supporting children with disabilities who exhibit problem behaviors under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and its implementing regulations. This article will help school and legal administrators unacquainted with concepts versant to behaviorists, close the knowledge gap and learn the functional behavioral assessment’s purpose, application and implementation to more effectively train and manage personnel through the process.