Extract

CARLOS R. MCCRAY, SU-JE CHO, CHUN ZHANG, AND HEATHER WYNNE

Introduction

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has received a lot of attention in the last few years due to the tremendous accomplishments that educators have achieved with this system over the past couple of decades. This attention is warranted, given the urgency of the need to assist students with their behavior in the classroom. Educators and school leaders who have bought into the concept of PBIS have been able to use it to cultivate a school climate and culture that is conducive for learning. Through the use of PBIS, teachers have been able to increase learning opportunities for students in a couple of ways. First, PBIS has given teachers the tools they need to help change the behavior of students so that the classroom climate and school culture reflect an atmosphere where cogent learning can take place (Bohanon et al., 2006). Second, through the utilization of PBIS, educators are often able to identify the students who are in need of additional learning assistance and make modifications to their instructional delivery (Lane, Wehby, Robertson, & Rogers, 2007). Throughout this book, we have touched on an array of topics regarding PBIS and how it has been used in schools to create authentic learning opportunities for all students.

The goal of this chapter is to take a critical look at PBIS from a leadership perspective—to consider how PBIS has been interpreted and implemented...