Hear from practitioners in the field as they give their PBIS Reviews.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Jordan resides in Lexington, Kentucky. He has experience in Public Education as an Administrator, Science Teacher, and as a Coach. He has extensive experience with School Discipline, PBIS, SEL, Restorative Practices, MTSS, and Trauma-Informed Care.
LiveSchool surveyed over 1000 educators in our search for the link between school culture, student behavior, morale, and student outcomes. The top challenge we found facing teachers today is student behavior.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
LiveSchool surveyed over 1000 educators in our search for the link between school culture, student behavior, morale, and student outcomes. The top challenge we found facing teachers today is student behavior.
According to The School Culture Report, 68% list student disruptive behavior as the top challenge. Social-emotional skills are lacking and over half expect behavior referrals to increase this year. 99% of teachers from our respondents said that Teacher Morale is low. Those are some dark findings. We certainly have some challenges ahead.
Administrators list school culture as a top priority for the next school year. So what can we do to turn the tide? Overall, as a profession, we agree that we need to address student behaviors in order to improve student outcomes and improve school culture.
We are also in agreement that our students' Social-Emotional Learning needs have to be addressed going forward. We need systems that promote positive behaviors and provide consistency of structures for staff.
Our students deserve safe schools, they deserve a culture centered around learning and achievement. Our staff deserves a safe work environment, they deserve to feel valued and respected as the professionals they are.
One thing we have all learned in the last couple of years is that our work matters and how we feel about our work matters. Let's take a look at PBIS points as a tool to improve student behavior and school culture.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to behavior in your building. PBIS tiers are designed to differentiate between the level of support your students need.
By creating a tiered system of discipline you can efficiently sort teacher-managed issues vs office-managed issues. You can reduce and optimize your student support staff's workload so they can dedicate their time to the students most in need of support.
You can eliminate behavior loopholes created by a system of rules designed to eliminate specific problems by teaching school-wide expectations of positive behavior. And lastly, you can improve student and teacher morale through a reward system for meeting those expectations.
My own personal experience with the program is quite extensive as I am a former PBIS Coach at a large public high school. We opened the school in 2017 and built our PBIS program at the same time as all the other various structures needed to run a school. We formed our team, authored expectations, designed lessons, and conducted regular data reviews.
What we saw was interesting from a discipline data perspective as we opened our building at roughly half capacity and grew every year thereafter. This meant we collected discipline data before and after implementation.
It also meant our “before” subset was smaller than our after subset. We assumed the data would increase at the same rate as our population. But once our program was in place our data leveled off and improved compared to before. Our Tier 1 group grew, whereas our Tier 2 and 3 remained steady or decreased in population size.
For more information on building a PBIS behavior plan check out PBIS Tiers. From our results, the program was not only successful but had become a big part of our school culture overall.
We asked educators in the field to give us PBIS reviews on implementation, results, and challenges we expect in the future. Keep reading to see what they had to say.
“Implementing positive behavior interventions has decreased the number of referrals and suspensions at my school because the teachers are intentionally recognizing and rewarding positive student behaviors instead of focusing solely on punishments.
Focusing on the positives allows us to form positive relationships with our students which in turn has produced a positive school culture.”
“Our students react to being positively praised, we use a ticket system for rewards and our expectations are clear.
By keeping staff expectations clear and consistent we eliminate confusion and keep everyone on the same page.”
“When communicated clearly and implemented consistently PBIS has had a positive impact on student behavior. Giving students rewards and events to look forward to provides an extra layer of motivation for accountability.
When students are meeting the school’s standards throughout the building, teachers are naturally in a better place. The positive student behaviors allow the staff to continue to cultivate a positive culture.”
”PBIS has made an impact on student behavior in schools because part of the process is TEACHING behavior expectations. When done school wide, it becomes meaningful because of consistency and intentionality.
Our staff appreciates the school-wide approach. It has helped to create a unified front for students, families, and staff. The biggest challenges to implementation have been buy-in and the need to train staff year to year.”
“ PBIS has had such a positive impact on behavior at our school. When I first started teaching we did not have a PBIS team, and behavior along with discipline was a big struggle among all grade levels.
Oftentimes, we were inconsistent with our expectations throughout the building. When students have uncertainty at such a young age, they tend to struggle with behavior. PBIS was truly a game-changer. The structures that were put in place helped students and teachers be successful.
By having a PBIS interventions team in place, our staff is able to have a positive culture and climate as well as sets expectations for us as educators.”
As you can see from our school culture report, a solution is in need. From speaking with experienced educators we have learned that PBIS can be an effective tool for improvement. I will caution you on viewing PBIS as a new shiny program that will solve all our problems.
As with most things in education you will need buy-in and follow through to make it work. If you succeed in those 2 areas, then PBIS can greatly improve student behavior, student outcomes, staff morale, and school culture overall.
We have resources for everything you need to get started with PBIS here at LiveSchool. From setting up your Tiers to PBIS strategies in the classroom to reward systems.
I would also suggest taking a long hard look at how you manage your data. Once your team begins making data-driven decisions on student behavior you will truly see the impact your program can have.
Lastly, I can’t overstate the cultural impact that shared leadership can have on your building. Empower your team to be change-makers in your school. Collaborate with them, support them and celebrate your successes with them.
Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started. How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
All the behavior resources you need to create the positive culture your school community deserves.
