The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between the implementation of positive behavior supports and teacher stress? Previous research conducted by Ross, Romer, and Horner (2011) reported that teachers who work in schools that effectively implement Positive Behavior Supports (PBIS) had lower levels of stress and higher levels of efficacy. The current study investigated the difference between the PBIS and teacher stress. Additionally, this study sought to determine if teachers age, years of teaching experience, and gender had an impact on teacher stress. Data collection strategies included two surveys, Effective Behavior Support and the Teacher Stress Inventory. The survey instrument consisted of 65 statements that asked respondents to indicate their degree of agreement on a 7-point Likert scale. Using two ANOVA’s and two independent sample t-test, 104 participant surveys across three school district groups were analyzed. Results revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in positive behavior supports and interventions and teacher stress. Additionally, there were no statistically significant difference in teachers age, years of teaching, and gender and teacher stress.

Family stress is affected by a child's challenging behavior and by the disruption of family routines as a result of the child's disability. Therefore, families with children with disabilities need professional support as they work with their children to decrease their children's behavior problems and to reduce the level of parental stress. This study examines in-home training in Positive Behavior Support using the model of parent-professional collaboration. Parents of 35 children with disabilities and challenging behaviors participated in this research. All participants were on the state of Utah's Family Support waiting list. Graduate students provided behavioral education to families by completing a Functional Behavioral Assessment, developing appropriate interventions, and analyzing intervention data. Children with disabilities experienced a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of their problem behavior as a result of the interventions. There was not, however, a significant increase in parents' perceptions of their limit setting skills nor parental support received. The results of this project may provide motivation for special educators, school psychologists and other specialists to collaborate more with parents in the education of their children with disabilities.

The purpose of this quantitative research was to examine the level of implementation of School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) in the State of Florida. The relationship between the fidelity of implementation of SWPBS as measured by the Benchmarks of Quality tool to academic and behavioral outcomes for middle and elementary schools was then analyzed. The academic outcomes for this study included FCAT Reading and Mathematics subtest scores. The behavioral outcomes were measured using the number of Office Discipline Referrals per 100 students and the number of days for Out of School Suspensions per 100 students. The literature review suggests that many outcomes have been associated with implementation of SWPBS. These include a reduction in ODRs and OSS days, increased academic achievement, increased instructional time, decreased administrative time addressing discipline, increased teacher satisfaction, improved peer relationships, and an increase in perceived school safety (Muscott, Mann,& LeBrun, 2008; Lassen, 2006; Landers, 2006; Lassen, Steele, & Sailor,2006; & Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, & Feinberg, 2005). The results of this study found that SWPBS is being implemented with fidelity in the majority of schools in one year and that these schools maintain or increase fidelity over time. Findings also suggest that there may be a relationship between greater implementation and lower ODR and OSS rates and to a lesser extent, academic outcomes. This research adds to the knowledge base regarding SWPBS implementation fidelity and its relationship to academic and behavioral outcomes and may be of use to policy makers, practitioners, and future researchers.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to explore the professional practices of teachers in both a Positive Behavior Support (PBS) high school and a traditional high school using Charlotte Danielson's (1996) 22 components of teaching responsibility that are clustered into four domains: Domain 1: Planning and Preparation, Domain 2: Classroom Environment, Domain 3: Instruction, and Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities. This comparison serves as a tool to determine if there is any difference in the professional practices of teachers in a high school with Positive Behavior Support and those in a traditional school. The results may be used to examine a variety of means to provide effective staff development and possible PBS implementation strategies. The teacher professional practices data retrieved were attained from teachers and principals of PBS and non-PBS schools. The major views that came forward from the respondents' survey questionnaires demonstrated that teachers and principals from the two schools characterize their professional practices quite similarly. Results from this study confirm the findings of research studies discussed in the literature review. On the whole, there were many similarities in the characterizations and levels of importance of teacher professional practices in the PBS and non-PBS schools. The descriptive data displayed that the PBS school out performed the non-PBS in the majority of the identified student outcomes. This study also noted that effective leadership and staff training are needed to facilitate the implementation of school improvement tools, such as PBS. / Ed. D.

Students need to be engaged in learning in order to have a successful school career. If attendance and discipline become an issue, instruction tends to be relegated to lesser importance. In order for students to be a contributor to society, education is important. As schools are held more accountable, the results of this study could encourage better practices to hold students more accountable. The Students Taking Appropriate Responsibility (STAR) Program was implemented in 2004 in one school in a school division in southwestern Virginia to address problems in student behavior. The other three elementary schools did not implement this program. The program is a four year series of sequential activities designed to provide positive behavior supports to all students. This program uses tenets of positive behavioral supports and effective school wide discipline programs. The first students who enrolled in 2004 had four years of instruction in the program and graduated from high school in 2013. Therefore, a study was undertaken to compare the behavior of the students in the treatment school with students in a control population. The purpose of this study was to track data at a student level and compare one treated population with a random sample from three control populations who attended the same high school. All schools were located in a rural county in Virginia with similar demographics. The main research question was whether high school students who had received instruction in a program for four years show more self-regulation on selected measures of student behavior than students who had not received such instruction. The variables used were attendance, discipline incidents, and drop-out status. Research on positive behavior supports demonstrated the effectiveness in the short term. However, there were no longitudinal studies found that tracked positive behavior support programs by student. The expectation of this study was that students would take the information learned from the program and continue to use the knowledge to make better choices about school. Students should have been more willing to attend school, avoid behaviors that result in discipline referrals, and stay in school until graduation. Using independent samples t-tests, data were analyzed using the entire treatment population and a randomly selected control population. The results of the study showed a significant difference in attendance for twelfth graders. Those students that had been instructed in the STAR program missed significantly fewer days than those students that had not been instructed. Overall, the ninth and eleventh graders in the treatment population had fewer missed days and ninth graders had fewer disciplinary incidents. Tenth grade students did not show the expected results, nor did any of the drop-out status statistics. All results other than twelfth grade were not significant. Overall, the program could be useful for helping with attendance in future grades. More research would be needed before this study could be generalized. Other possible research venues would be to increase the grade levels or the variables studied. / Ed. D.

School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS), a tiered prevention model targeted at making educational environments safe and effective, is swiftly gaining popularity in the United States (Brandt, Chitiyo, May, 2012). This model aims to teach prosocial behavior through positively stated rules and expectations; however, there is little research examining social skills instruction using a tiered model (Schoenfield, Rutherford, Gable, Rock, 2008). This is of considerable concern for children with autism spectrum (ASD) and related social disorders as educators attempt to address the social needs of these students within a SWPBS framework (Sansoti, 2010). The current study aimed to begin exploration into the topic of a tiered social skills training framework for children with autism spectrum and related social/behavioral disorders and their typically developing peers by initial implementation and testing of a primary tier social skills program through the use of a mixed model research design. The program was implemented in two classrooms (1 preschool and 1 kindergarten) in southwest Virginia. A mixed-method research study was conducted to determine whether the program leads to improved classroom environment, improved social functioning for children with ASD or social difficulties (n=8), what qualities of children, teachers, and classrooms affect implementation and results, and what additional changes or elements need to be provided to implement the program without the aid of a researcher. While quantitative results failed to yield significant findings, qualitative results partially supported the use of the program. While the initial results were small to insignificant, they point to important considerations for further refinement of the program. / Ph. D.

The literature shows that school attendance matters. Time engaged with instruction is highly correlated to student achievement (Brophy, 1988; Fisher et al., 2015; Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2001). However, students who are suspended and expelled from school lose instructional time in the classroom (Belway, Hodson, Losen, Keith II, and Morrison, 2015; Scott and Barrett, 2004). Suspensions result in decreased student attendance by removing the student from the learning environment (Noltemeyer, Ward, and Mcloughlin, 2015). The use of in-school suspension (ISS), out-of-school suspension (OSS), and expulsion are referred to as exclusionary discipline (Belway et al., 2015). Educational leaders are unintentionally contributing to the achievement gaps that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation intended to close by not addressing student suspensions and expulsions (Belway et al., 2015). This study used quantitative data with an ex post facto design to determine if the implementation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) resulted in a change in student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions in one middle school and to determine what difference, if any, was there in student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions between a school implementing PBIS and a school not implementing PBIS. Two suburban middle schools in one Virginia school division were included in this study. Following the conceptual framework for this study, it was anticipated that implementation of PBIS would decrease student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions. The results of the study revealed that there was a reduction in office discipline referrals following the first year of implementation in the PBIS Middle School. When comparing a school that implemented PBIS to one that did not, this study found that student suspensions decreased by the second year of implementation in the school that implemented PBIS. This study also yielded other findings that were inconsistent with existing research. The results of this study are of significance for education leaders who want to decrease student office discipline referrals and suspensions / Ed. D. / The literature shows that school attendance matters where time engaged with instruction is highly correlated to student achievement (Brophy, 1988; Fisher et al., 2015; Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 2001). However, a common means of dealing with student misbehavior in school is the issuance of a referral to the office that may result in a student suspension (Belway, Hodson, Losen, Keith II, & Morrison, 2015; Scott & Barrett, 2004). Office discipline referrals and suspensions result in decreased student attendance by removing the student from the learning environment (Noltemeyer, Ward, & Mcloughlin, 2015). Educational leaders are unintentionally contributing to gaps in student achievement by removing students from the learning environment. This study investigated whether the implementation of a behavioral framework, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), resulted in a change in student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions in one middle school and explored what difference, if any, was there in student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions between a school implementing PBIS and a school not implementing PBIS. Two suburban middle schools in one Virginia school division were included in this study. It was anticipated that implementation of PBIS would decrease student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions. The results of the study revealed that there was a reduction in office discipline referrals following the first year of implementation in the school implementing PBIS. When comparing a school that implemented PBIS to one that did not, this study found that student suspensions decreased in the PBIS school by the second year of implementation. This study also yielded other findings that were inconsistent with existing research. The results of this study are of significance for education leaders who want to decrease student office discipline referrals and suspensions.

Children with developmental disabilities often exhibit problem behaviors, such as physical aggression, tantrums, and self-injury. These behaviors can detrimentally affect the family's lifestyle. Research has shown that such families should take an active role in developing and implementing a behavior plan. However, families need support to promote effective changes in their child's behavior. This study investigated how a positive behavior support workshop that used the Family HOPE program affected behavior problems and parent/child relationships in families with children with developmental disabilities. Parents of eight children with disabilities and challenging behaviors participated in this research. A Project Director and Principal Investigator taught the six systematic steps to changing behavior. They were assisted by graduate students who provided behavioral education to families, helped families complete a Functional Behavioral Assessment, appropriate interventions, and analyze intervention data. The Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) and Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) were given to the families to study the effects of parent trainings on parents' perceptions of limit setting, parental support, and the frequency and severity of problem behaviors. Results showed a significant difference in the pre- and post-intervention data on limit setting and parental support. There were no significant differences in the frequency and severity of problem behaviors on the SIB-R. Implications for further research are suggested concerning teaching parents Positive Behavior Support principles in a workshop setting.

There is ever-increasing pressure on school officials to provide a safe school environment that is conducive to learning. There is also a growing concern from teachers and administrators that many students are unrecognized for their continual appropriate behavior(s), in part, because of the attention consumed by both challenging students and students with exceptional talents and abilities. In response, a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) approach is growing in popularity to address both of these issues. SWPBS is implemented across an entire school population and involves all individuals whether they are challenging, exceptional, or typical. The initial research shows encouraging results and supports the effectiveness of a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support program. This study focused on the development, implementation, and results of a SWPBS program at a rural high school. Data collected included office daily referrals, suspensions, expulsions, attendance, and the number of reinforcers (Mo-Bucks) distributed by staff. Outcome data indicated that compared to the year prior to the SWPBS program's implementation, there was a reduction in office daily referrals, a reduction in expulsions, and an increase in attendance. The results of this 3-year study supported the effectiveness of SWPBS as an intervention for reducing disruptive behaviors at the high school level for typical students as well as for students with special needs.