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Achievement, engagement and learning require skilled and strategic behaviour management in classrooms. New Zealand schools are about to undergo a major shiftin the management of disruptive behaviour in the education system (Ministry of Education, 2010a). As part of the Positive Behaviour for Learning policy the Ministry of Education aims to implement School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) in 400 schools by 2015. Several schools in New Zealand have operated within a SWPBS framework for the past five years. This paper presents five key themes that the participants (n=11) from two of these schools believe contributed to successful implementation. Interviews and document analysis revealed that key to success were schools' readiness, student empowerment, community input, professional learning, and evidence-based decision making. Implications of these themes are provided.
Effective behaviour management is dependent on teacher skill, positive and preventative school and classroom interventions, clear expectations, and a consistent systems-wide approach. Managing student behaviour in schools has become a priority for the Ministry of Education (MOE) as it seeks to address the increasing rates of suspension, stand-down, and exclusion (MOE, 2010b). To address this priority, the MOE has introduced a comprehensive plan called Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), a strategy which encompasses amongst other things a nationwide implementation in up to 400 schools of Positive Behaviour Support which they have termed Positive Behaviour for Learning-School-wide (PB4L-SW).
The MOE has provided national PB4L-SW trainers for schools to establish Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) frameworks, with the aim of implementing PB4L-SW in 400 schools by 2014/2015. PBS is not a new initiative in New Zealand; several schools have implemented this framework for the past six years as part of an initiative between Special Education and local schools across the central south area in the North Island. The present study focuses on two of these schools. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the themes that emerged relating specifically to the implementation of PBS in the school.
Background
Traditionally, behaviour systems in New Zealand tend to be punitive, with the focus on disciplining students after the behaviour has occurred. For instance, when students misbehave, it is common that their name will be written on the board and then ticked after each subsequent offence. Upon receiving three ticks, they are...