Content area
Abstract
Over the past three decades positive school climate has been hindered by negative behavioral and emotional problems, and positive behavior-based programs have been looked to as solutions to these hinderances (Caldarella, Shatzer, Fray, Young, & Young, 2011; Freeman, Simonsen, McCoach, Sugai, Lombardi, & Horner, 2015). The bulk of the data on the impacts of positive behavior-based programs, such as school-wide positive behavioral intervention and support (SWPBIS), on student outcomes have been limited to elementary and middle schools, thus leading to a call for more examination of SWPBIS impacts at the high school level (Bradshaw, Pas, Debnam, Johnson, 2015). The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative, matched-subject study was to examine the impact of SWPBIS on suspensions, office discipline referrals (ODRs), and Keystone Exam achievement in Pennsylvania public high schools. Participants in the current study were a Pennsylvania public high school currently and previously implementing SWPBIS with fidelity at Tier 1, labeled as SWPBIS 1, and a matched-subject public high school that was and has not implemented SWPBIS, labeled as Non-SWPBIS 1. The results revealed a significant difference between SWPBIS 1 and Non-SWPBIS 1 in mean ODRs for the school years 2014-15 through 2017-18 with SWPBIS 1 having the lower rate of ODRs. However, when considering all other examinations of the data, whether between schools or with-in, the results did not reveal overwhelming statistical evidence that a Pennsylvania public high school implementing SWPBIS has lower ODR and suspension rates, or greater Keystone Exam achievement.
