Students' misbehaviors at younger ages can lead to more significant issues at the high school level such as dropping out, drug and alcohol abuse, and incarceration. The purpose of this study was to examine high school students' perceptions of positive reinforcement and punishment practices in their high school's behavior system. Two specific…

While it may seem almost intuitive that offering rewards to students will yield better results, that is not how it works; the result often is the opposite. The paradox of rewards is that their effect often has a limited impact on students, who then will lose curiosity; it also makes them feel as if they are being controlled--a negative motivating…

Physical educators are constantly seeking ways to improve their teaching effectiveness and to manage the ever-increasing challenges they face, such as large classes, inadequate equipment, lack of support for children with special needs, and more. Teachers in special education and general education were introduced to Response to Intervention (RTI)…

The use of a school wide positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) framework is well established as a beneficial model for the majority of students taught in general education classrooms (e.g., Bradshaw, Mitchell, & Leaf, 2010). Some students, whether at-risk for or school-identified with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) or other…

Schools are increasingly adopting tiered models of prevention to meet the needs of diverse populations of students. This article outlines the steps involved in designing and implementing a systematic Tier 2 behavior intervention within a tiered service delivery model. An elementary school example is provided to outline the identification,…

Students in alternative, residential, and correctional settings present challenges in the classroom and facility due to the complexity and intensity of their behaviors. In addition, the factors typically associated with these settings including crowding, inconsistency, and conflicting staff perspectives on education and discipline present…

Many public schools are experiencing improved student, staff, and school outcomes with the adoption of a positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework, which organizes evidence-based practices into an integrated continuum of supports. Although alternative programs are often more restrictive and specialized because of the…

Encouragement is a very effective means of enhancing appropriate behavior in others. Before one can be encouraging, one must recognize how people discourage others through verbalizations, actions, attitudes, beliefs, one's position in the family, and school. Schools discourage students through expectations, grades, report cards, competition,…

Successful discipline, improved school climates, and behavioral competence are integrally related to improving academic outcomes. This policy brief presents common discipline practices in schools and discuss current discipline data from Indiana. In addition, the report examines school-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS), an alternative approach…

Significant numbers of students are being pushed out of school as a result of "zero tolerance" school discipline policies. While nobody questions the need to keep schools safe, teachers, students, and parents are questioning the methods being used in pursuit of that goal. Initially enacted to counter violent behavior and drug use, zero tolerance…

This booklet is about changing human behavior in everyday settings in the school and home. The approach to human behavior outlined is called "behavior analysis," which is based on that approach to psychology called the exerimental analysis of behavior. The ABC model of behavior is explained. In this model, the A refers to the "antecedent" that…

This review focuses on correspondence training procedures, in which a subject makes statements about intended positive behavior and the statements are reinforced. The paper examines early research, generalization, maintenance, application to mentally retarded individuals, and the concept of self-control. (Author/JDD)

Assessed teachers' (n=89) acceptance of Good Behavior Game (GBG), interdependent group contingency. Found GBG as acceptable as positive reinforcement and response cost. Neither target children's ages, behavior problem severity, nor stated procedure rationale affected ratings. Found positive relationship between acceptability and use of positive…

This commentary on a paper (EC 603 646) describing a natural reinforcement project of Communidad Los Horcones (Mexico) notes that the original paper lacks auxiliary procedures for students whose behaviors are not controlled by described procedures, offers no guidance on curriculum structure, and fails to recognize potential opposition to such…

This article describes Effective Behavioral Support, a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to adopt and sustain use of effective processes for all students. Implementation across four major areas of the school system is discussed, including: (1) schoolwide; (2) nonclassroom; (3) classroom, and (4) individual student. A sample…