Staff Buy-In to SW-PBIS Kevin J. Filter, Ph.D. Minnesota State University, Mankato

The good news PBIS works PBIS is available Randomized control trial evidence Other national studies Local evidence PBIS is available 15 years of PBIS 9 years of PBIS in MN

The “other” news PBIS requires effort from teachers/staff Teach behavior expectations Acknowledge appropriate behavior Consistent use of school’s discipline procedures In the classroom, non-classrooms settings, and with individual kids Other things in school require effort, too Teaching Committees, meetings Other initiatives

The reality PBIS only works when implemented with fidelity 80% overall 80% teaching in year 1 80% reward system in year 2+

The BOTTOM LINE We need staff to buy-in to PBIS in order to implement with fidelity and achieve desired outcomes

LET’S TALK ABOUT BUY-IN

What is buy-in? A willingness to participate in the specific tasks associated with PBIS Measured by PBIS-SIM Teach behavior expectations Acknowledge appropriate behavior Consistent use of school’s discipline procedures In the classroom, non-classrooms settings, and with individual kids

What do we know about PBIS buy-in? Study of 1,200+ teachers/staff in MN in Spring 2012 using PBIS-SIM Included Cohorts 5, 7, and 8 Elementary, Middle, and High Schools 44.2% of schools from cohorts 5, 7, & 8 participated Approx. 40.5% of staff in each school participated

Demographics of Respondents Gender Grade Cohort

Distribution of Scores

Average Buy-In Scores Mean Percent Buy-In Standard Deviation OVERALL 16.15 89.7% 3.00 GRADE LEVEL Elementary 16.61 92.2% 2.50 Middle School 15.83 87.9% 2.78 High School 15.58 86.6% 3.67 COHORT Cohort 5 15.67 87.1% Cohort 7 16.38 (16.34 in 2011) 91.0% (90.7%) 2.70 (2.71 in 2011) Cohort 8 16.13 89.6% 2.93 Notice how stable Cohort 7 is across years. They only gained .03 points in 1 year and their SD is almost exactly the same. This means (a) the measure is very stable and (b) buy-in level is difficult to change.

Hypothesized Predictors of Staff Buy-in Cohort School All 8 7 5 Elem Mid High Opportunity to provide input on PBIS-related activities in your school   Current knowledge of PBIS Being a member of the PBIS team Degree of influence that the administrator in your school has with staff in terms of the implementation of PBIS Receiving acknowledgement for your successful teaching or behavior management in the past year Receiving any kind of professional acknowledgement for the appropriate behavior of your students in the past year Receiving any kind of professional acknowledgement for your participation in PBIS-related activities in the past year Regular opportunities for being acknowledged for your successful teaching or behavior management Number of times in the past year your school reviewed PBIS activities or plans with you and other teachers/staff Perception of PBIS success in your own school Number of times in the past year your school reviewed school-wide student behavior data with you and other teachers/staff Perception of PBIS success in other schools

What should we do to increase buy-in? Assess buy-in in your school on an annual basis (PBIS-SIM) Provide opportunities for teacher/staff input Increase knowledge of what PBIS is and how it works Share data Acknowledge positive staff behavior in teaching and discipline

Please contact Dr. Kevin Filter kevin.filter@mnsu.edu More questions? Please contact Dr. Kevin Filter kevin.filter@mnsu.edu