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Why P.B.I.S. Needs to GTFO
Research shows Positive Behaviour Interventions & Supports programs do more harm than good
PBIS is compliance-based
Students most at risk of being harmed by Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and similar behaviourism-based programming are already vulnerable and marginalized: Students in the ethnic minority, students living in poverty, disabled students, and students who are neurodivergent.
While these programs purport to reduce concerning, disruptive, and unsafe behaviour in schools, their claims of being proven effective in peer-reviewed studies are highly problematic, in particular due to their narrow definitions of “success”.
I will deconstruct the weak evidence used to market PBIS and similar programs and discuss the risks of these programs being widely implemented in public schools.
Who and what are P.B.I.S.?
The Center on P.B.I.S. is an organization which sells pre-packaged behaviour programs to schools and social service organizations. In October 2023, the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education of more than $21 million to continue its work through 2028.
