Scaling Up Behavioural Support in the USA

Abstract

The systematic introduction of a multi-tiered continuum of services and supports has offered a cost-effective solution to the range of behaviour problems in American schools. From 2000 onwards, the strengths of school-wide positive behaviour support (SWPBS) have come from the careful documentation of procedural guides for implementation within schools and a corresponding emphasis on the building of capacity within the school community to deliver that implementation. Research has continued to demonstrate the viability of this problem-solving approach to local educational contexts across the USA. The effectiveness of SWPBS has been demonstrated by the increasing number of schools undertaking this approach to continuous school improvement and the decreasing number of student disciplinary problems in those schools. Moreover, there is evidence that schools demonstrating higher fidelity of SWPBS implementation have fewer behaviour problems and more sustainability. A new range of measures have arisen from the research facilitation of online data collection to track behaviour change and plan further improvement of practice. School teams now have access to a comprehensive online inventory that measures their school’s fidelity of implementation across all tiers. Schools and teachers can check their cultural responsiveness to the instructional and behavioural needs of their diverse students. Schools can assess their sustained implementation of SWPBS. Capacity building for teachers in classroom implementation of multi-tiered supports continues to advance.