A Focus on Implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in High Schools: Associations With Bullying and Other Indicators of School Disorder

Abstract.

There is growing interest in the use of a multitiered 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, with limited research on high schools. Furthermore, research on PBIS implementation in high schools, particularly in relation to school context, is scant. The current article examined the adoption and implementation of PBIS in 31 high schools randomly assigned to implement PBIS, within the context of a larger 58 high school randomized trial. We first present descriptive data on the rollout of the core features of PBIS, as measured by a set of research-based implementation tools administered by outside observers. We then explore the extent to which baseline rates of bullying and other school-level indicators of disorder were associated with the adoption of the multitiered PBIS framework over the course of 2 years. Multilevel analyses on the longitudinal implementation data indicated that schools with higher baseline rates of bullying generally implemented PBIS with greater fidelity over time. This suggests that schools with increased bullying may be particularly motivated to adopt PBIS. However, other baseline indicators of disorder were generally not associated with PBIS implementation and thus do not appear to be barriers to adoption. Implications for implementation research and practice in high schools are discussed.

Notes

Support for this project comes from the U.S. Department of Education and the William T. Grant Foundation. The authors acknowledge support from the Maryland State Department of Education and Sheppard Pratt Health System through the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the conduct of this research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catherine P. Bradshaw

Catherine P. Bradshaw, PhD, MEd, is a professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia; she is also the Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–funded Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and Co-Director of the National Institute of Mental Health–funded Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention and Early Intervention. She collaborates on federally funded research projects examining bullying and school climate; the development of aggressive and problem behaviors; and the design, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs in schools. She is a former associate editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence and is the editor of Prevention Science and co-editor of the Handbook of School Mental Health.

Elise T. Pas

Elise T. Pas, PhD, is an assistant scientist in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research examines the adoption and implementation of preventive interventions in schools, the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions delivered through a multitiered system of supports, and the influence of teacher and school contextual factors on implementation and student outcomes. She holds a doctorate in school psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Katrina J. Debnam

Katrina J. Debnam, PhD, MPH, is an assistant scientist in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research interests include using mixed methods to create health equity, examine the efficacy of prevention intervention in schools, and develop innovative strategies to prevent teen dating violence. She holds a master's of public health degree in health behavior and health education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in behavioral and community health from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Sarah Lindstrom Johnson

Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. Her work takes a positive youth development approach toward understanding how to prevent youth involvement in risk behavior, specifically focusing on the role of environments in promoting positive youth outcomes. She holds a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University.