Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in Challenging Contexts: Evaluating a Replicable Implementation Approach in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2018-2021 (ICPSR 38572)
This study aimed to validate an approach to implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a school-climate improvement program, in a partnering school district in an attempt to address pressing issues impacting students' success. The study was a collaboration between the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), the partnering school district, and several additional partners, who collaboratively designed and supported the PBIS implementation approach funded from National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and supplemental funds from the participating school district.
The impacts of trauma training for school officers were assessed via an PBIS of all eligible district K-8 schools, including schools that did and did not use school-wide PBIS. The random controlled trial (RCT) used a blocked design to assign schools to treatment and control conditions within PBIS status (i.e., PBIS school, non-PBIS school).
Impacts of the implementation model were assessed via a cluster randomized experiment. To select schools to receive the expanded supports being provided through this project, the research team collaborated with the partnering school district's school climate administrators and project partners who had been supporting PBIS implementation in the district for several years prior to the start of the project. Criteria were established to determine eligibility for the implementation model, including that eligible schools must have: 1) strong PBIS implementation at Tier 1, 2) attempted implementing some form of Tier 2 supports, and 3) leadership buy-in. Applying these criteria, nine potential schools were identified as eligible. From this list, four schools were randomly selected to receive the implementation model and the remaining five schools served as Comparison schools and conducted business-as-usual PBIS.