School-wide positive behavior intervention support implementation and organizational change: a case study.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20204574

This case study focused on the three-year implementation period of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support (SWPBIS), a positive approach to discipline following the Response to Intervention (RTI) model, in a rural K-8 elementary school. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and support staff's perceptions on the implementation of SWPBIS and organizational change. The Burke-Litwin Causal Model of Change (1992) was the theory used for the analysis to explore how the SWPBIS implementation mediated with the transformative and transactional factors within a school organization. The focus of the literature review was to review the program effects of the systematic implementation of SWPBIS and how it related to teacher efficacy, school climate, student-teacher relationship, school leadership and student achievement. The research question of the study was: How did the implementation of the SWPBIS system at a small, rural K-8 school impact teacher efficacy, student-teacher relations, school climate, and student achievement as perceived by teachers and support staff? This descriptive case study attempted to explain the SWPBIS implementation through the eyes of school personnel during the implementation period. The research findings suggested that the SWPBIS implementation did influence the transformative and transactional factors of the school, as evidenced by improvement in student behavior, student referrals, teacher efficacy, and student achievement data.