The demonstration of positive impact has accelerated the adoption of the PBIS [Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports] framework across the country in different school settings. The purpose of this evaluation brief is to provide an initial descriptive snapshot of the current status of PBIS implementation in rural schools.

School-wide PBIS implementation is associated with positive academic and behavioral outcomes. Research supports the importance of school context in implementation and sustainment, but more work is needed to explore the role of community locale, particularly for rural communities that experience context-specific strengths and challenges in…

This qualitative study explores the early implementation of a university school leadership preparation program and school district collaborative effort to develop school leaders and sustain leadership capacity in nine rural school districts. Emerging findings drawn from survey, focus-group, and participant observation data include (a) the…

Mental illness is an epidemic sweeping the nation and, more specifically, the world of education (Salerno, 2016). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2020b), approximately 4.4 million children 3-17 years old in the United States have been diagnosed with anxiety, and approximately 1.9 million diagnosed with depression.…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a prevention-oriented multitiered system of support. In this article, we discuss how PBIS implementation might be different for schools in rural settings. We used two subsamples of an extant data set of 11,561 schools in 44 U.S. states reporting on PBIS implementation fidelity during the…

Canada's colonial relationship to First Peoples was predicated on the imposition of church-run residential schools, systemic racism, and chronic underfunding of education on reserve (Dart, 2019). As a result, the relationship between Indigenous learners, families and the school system is fraught with mistrust, scepticism regarding the purposes of…

Evidence suggests that implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) with fidelity can reduce behavior problems in schools and, concomitantly, the use of school suspensions. Few studies have explored differences in SWPBIS implementation fidelity and outcomes between rural and urban schools, but research suggests…

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) is authorized by Part B of Title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, P.L. 114-95) in 2015. Congress created this program to address the unique needs of rural schools that disadvantage them relative to non-rural schools. To…

This demonstration features the collaborative work of a state-funded project matching university-based PBIS trainers with school level implementers in a rural setting. Strategies and lessons learned when implementing PBIS with fidelity during challenging times is shared. The information learned from this regional example highlights the need for…

Faculty from two universities in Florida and Ohio designed, developed, and implemented programs to work with youth from their respective service regions to support college and career readiness initiatives. Both programs were directed by university faculty and utilized university resources to support K-12 students' career development skills. In…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine building and district administrators' perceptions of the Kansas Dyslexia Initiatives. Their awareness and experiences may influence how administrators understand, plan for, and align the current approach for reading instruction within their respective buildings or district in relation to the…

Schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a three-tiered framework for preventing and addressing challenging behavior and improving school climate. SWPBIS requires ongoing coaching and consultation to ensure implementation fidelity and improve the efficiency and efficacy of data-based decision making and problem-solving…

A four-day school week (4dsw) is becoming more common, especially in areas across the western United States. States with large rural areas are spearheading this change. For example, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have more than 500 districts using a 4dsw. The transition to the 4dsw and the debate over…

The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) has been studying the four-day school week since 2015. Since then, the phenomenon of the four-day school week has spread into non-rural areas and interest appears to be growing. Given these apparent changes, the author wanted to know more about recent trends in the initiative. As districts continue…

In 2012, the United States Department of Education announced the Race to the Top-District grants. One joint award was made to two large educational cooperatives in the same state that together represented 111 mostly rural schools in 22 districts. One of the grant's identified four essential projects was the implementation of personalized learning.…