The ongoing concern among the public about the safety of school-aged students in the United States has driven researchers to identify effective preventative practices to enhance school safety. Although past research has identified and evaluated specific preventative initiatives, the breadth of literature evaluating multitiered systems of supports…

The implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been attributed to a decrease in office discipline referrals (ODRs) and suspensions and to increase academic performance, and engagement, as well as staff, family, and student perceptions of a safe and positive school climate. High schools have had more significant…

This phenomenological case study explores the perceptions of high school administrators who have implemented Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) at the universal tier with fidelity. For this study, perceptions refer to the views and experiences of administrators implementing SWPBIS on the success and growth they have…

Researchers have found that removing students from instructional settings for behavioral infractions adversely influenced student learning. The problem of this basic qualitative study was that strategies, challenges, experiences, and approaches used by high school general education teachers to manage student misbehavior were unknown. The purpose…

Improving student learning and behavior has been a topic of discussion in the education community for a long time. The Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) program is proposed to achieve this. While PBIS successfully improves academic and behavioral outcomes, there are concerns that it may only meet the needs of some students.…

Previous research has demonstrated a need for contextual fit when implementing behavior supports in high schools (Flannery et al., "The High School Journal," 96(4), 267-282, 2013; Flannery & Kato, "Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth," 61(1), 69-79, 2017). As high schools move beyond the…

In Barbados, there has been an increase in violence and disruptive behavior among students at urban secondary schools. The problem is that some Barbadian urban secondary principals struggle to implement the Schools' Positive Behavior Management Program (SPBMP), while other principals successfully reduce disruptive behaviors. This basic qualitative…

Positive student behavior is necessary, not only for a positive school culture, but for learning to take place, as students cannot learn in an environment where they do not feel safe, physically and/or emotionally, just as teachers cannot teach to the best of their ability. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of…

The Schoolwide Expectations Survey for Specific Settings (SESSS) is a free-access tool that school leadership teams can use to gather opinions from faculty and staff regarding what student behaviors are critical for success in various school settings. While the SESSS has been used for over a decade to inform the building of schoolwide expectation…

Students' well-being has become an important part of education policy in many countries. Research shows that well-being contributes to students' engagement in school, thereby supporting academic achievement. However, prior research has often neglected the interplay and multidimensionality of the constructs. The present study applied a…

When implementing schoolwide PBIS in secondary schools, creating effective acknowledgment systems for expected student behavior can be challenging. To overcome this challenge, it is helpful to understand acknowledgement preferences from the student point of view. In this study, we surveyed students in three middle, two traditional, and two…

The problem explored in the study was that elementary and middle school special education teachers in the southeastern United States were not using positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) strategies with their students with disabilities (SWDs), even though the framework had been implemented at their schools. Perceptions of elementary…

Traditionally, schools have trusted both punishments of suspensions for problem conduct or exclusion of students who participate in delinquent behavior as tactics for reducing the harmful effects of problem behavior. Over time, these approaches have been proven unsuccessful and costly. The PBIS strategies are alleged to help teachers maximize…

Previous research has demonstrated a need for contextual fit when implementing behavior supports in high schools (Flannery et al., "The High School Journal," "96"(4), 267-282, 2013; Flannery & Kato, "Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth," "61"(1), 69-79, 2017). As high…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is recognized as a preventive tiered framework that positively supports and addresses student behavior. Currently, there are over 30,000 schools across America implementing PBIS. This phenomenological investigation examines the perceptions of key secondary school personnel on school climate in…