The field of special education has become increasingly interested in and concerned about the costs associated with delivering programs and services to students. Yet, to date, there has been relatively limited data on the costs or return on investment of special education services and preventive interventions. There is an opportunity to learn from…

This study presents findings from a 58 high-school group-randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of training in a multitiered system of supports for behavior (MTSS-B) framework, which was leveraged to reduce students' risk for emotional and behavior disorders. The trial tested the impact of MTSS-B, which included (a) training in the…

Student engagement is a multidimensional construct influenced by complex student, classroom, and school factors. Although prior research has examined various dimensions of student engagement, few studies have adopted a multilevel approach to simultaneously incorporate observational measures of classroom practices with student and school factors.…

This study examined the impact of a state policy requiring that any school with a habitual truancy rate of 8% of higher to be trained in Tier 1 school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS). A regression discontinuity (RD) design was used to examine how the schools' mandate status related to SW-PBIS training as well as…

Student engagement is a multidimensional construct influenced by complex student, classroom, and school factors. Although prior research has examined various dimensions of student engagement, few studies have adopted a multilevel approach to simultaneously incorporate observational measures of classroom practices with student and school factors.…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been shown to be a promising approach for improving a range of behavioral health and academic outcomes for youth. This study leveraged data from the scale-up of PBIS and a randomized controlled trial, both conducted in Maryland, to estimate the dollars saved per 100 students as a result of…

There are several widely used Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation fidelity measures, including the Schoolwide Evaluation Tool (SET), but there is limited empirical investigation substantiating the association between specific fidelity cut point scores and student outcomes. This article examined different SET cut…

This study leveraged data from a 40-school randomized controlled trial to understand the cost of coaching to support implementation of evidence-based programs (EBPs) through a multi-tiered system of supports for behavior (MTSS-B) model. Coach activity log data were utilized to generate the annual average, per school, costs of coaching of $8,198.…

Excessive use of exclusionary school discipline with Black students is a persistent, systemic problem in U.S. schools with potential to affect students' perceptions of their school. For example, students may notice racial differences in out-of-school suspensions, which may relate to how academically engaged they feel and the extent to which they…

The three-tiered Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework promotes the development of systems and data analysis to guide the selection and implementation of evidence-based practices across multiple tiers. The current study examined the effects of universal (tier 1) or school-wide PBIS (SW-PBIS) in one state's scale-up of…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been shown to be a promising approach for improving a range of behavioral health and academic outcomes for youth. This study leveraged data from the scale-up of PBIS and a randomized controlled trial, both conducted in Maryland, to estimate the dollars saved per 100 students as a result of…

Cluster randomized experiments are now widely used to examine intervention effects in prevention science. It is meaningful to use empirical benchmarks for interpreting effect size in prevention science. The effect size (i.e., the standardized mean difference, calculated by the difference of the means between the treatment and control groups,…

Generalizability theory (GT) offers a useful framework for estimating the reliability of a measure while accounting for multiple sources of error variance. The purpose of this study was to use GT to examine multiple sources of variance in and the reliability of school-level teacher and high school student behaviors as observed using the tool,…

There is growing interest in the use of a multi-tiered system of supports framework to address issues related to school climate and bullying. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is one such model that has received considerable attention; however, nearly all of the extant literature has focused on elementary and middle schools,…

Coaching models are increasingly used in schools to enhance fidelity and effectiveness of evidence-based interventions, yet little is known about the relationship between the coach and teacher (i.e., coach-teacher alliance), which may indirectly enhance teacher and student outcomes through improved implementation quality. There is also limited…