Family Engagement Within Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Abstract

Parent educational involvement is an important avenue for enhancing student outcomes. Schools seek myriad ways to include families; however, the parent involvement practices used by schools lack coordination and are disconnected from existing school approaches. Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic and coordinated framework used in more than 19,000 schools to support student behavior. Despite its success, PBIS implementation underemphasizes comprehensive systems for engaging families. The purpose of this article is to present a framework of family engagement within PBIS. The purpose of coordinating and sequencing family engagement within PBIS is to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, and durability of PBIS by supporting students across settings. Furthermore, this model extends current parent involvement frameworks by coordinating systematic family engagement in education.

Keywords:

• family engagement
• family involvement
• positive behavior supports
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
• student behavior

Author Notes

S. Andrew Garbacz is an assistant professor in school psychology at the University of Oregon and research scientist with the Prevention Science Institute. His research involves examining prevention and intervention programs that support children's positive social behaviors within a tiered framework, including conjoint (parent–teacher) consultation, Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support, and Positive Family Support.

Kent McIntosh is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Services at the University of Oregon and associate director of Educational and Community Supports, a research unit at the university. His current research focuses on culturally responsive behavior support, enhancing family–school partnerships, and implementation and sustainability of school-based interventions.

John W. Eagle is an associate professor and director of the School Psychology Program at Rhode Island College. He serves as the director of Psychological Services for the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities. His research focuses on family engagement in schools.

Shannon E. Dowd-Eagle is an associate professor in the School Psychology Program at Rhode Island College and serves as an associate director for the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Developmental Disabilities. Her current research interests include multitiered systems of support and family engagement.

Kara A. Hirano is a doctoral student at the University of Oregon. Her current research focuses on enhancing family–school partnerships and family involvement in transition planning.

Traci Ruppert is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon. Her research interests include family–school partnerships, Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support, and low-incidence disabilities.